Whisking Away the Light

[Tzeentch]

The plains of Dantooine were peaceful as they have always been. The air was clean of pollutants, of which a young, scarred silver-haired youth breathed in.

Nier opened his eye as he looked out to the empty plains, his cloak over his shoulders and its hood down, allowing one to easily see the dark bags that lie under his eyes, his silver hair lacking its former luster, seeming more of a bright gray, and the sickly flecks of gold that were scattered in his lone eye.

A frown marred his features deeply as he scanned the smoldering corpses that were lined in front of him. Although, a small scoff came to ear as he turned on his heel and simply strode away, leaving the former Schatten warriors to the natural wildlife as two 6'6" foot tall droids followed, the barrels of their massive weapons still smoking as well as the shells that had erupted from them.

He had returned to Dantooine to check up on the status of his current 'Project,' and so far it seemed to be fairing better than his previous expectations. However, he believed that it wasn't enough; he had received news that the Schatten were constructing a fortress of sorts at the Ruin where his father and ancestors were laid to rest, something that angered him greatly.

Though it wasn't that he feared that they would desecrate the burial site, as even the Schatten themselves respected the dead, no matter to whom the grave belonged, but rather the fact that, in building the array of walls and structures, they had barred anyone of Licht blood from entering the underground site.

If things continued according to plan however, then even the walls of Schatten's own home hidden within the hills would crumble effortlessly. All Nier needed was time, something he had plenty of.

Ceasing in his stride, Nier stood still and looked up to the sky as he had done countless times before...

The presence of clouds was apparent as they began to engulf the vast sky, thunder sounding off in the distance.

 

[Matt]

This Di'Kut had to be the worst jetii ever and that was saying something. He wasn't the worst in the sense he would chop his head off with his lightsaber but more the fact he was strolling along looking for a fight with several massive battledroids.

Odd but no worry....

I was half a mile away with my helmet magnifying this Nier so I could see every single mark on his face and skin and he looked like he had been through the wars .

Well he had annoyed the wrong people and now he had a mark on his head and he was walking straight towards the carefully constructed trap...If he went on the same path he would set off a massive ionization field that would fry his droids and fry his brain for a good few hours.

Hopefully this jetii wouldn't see it coming as I didn't fancy myself against those droids.

 

[Tzeentch]

Pausing, Nier looked towards the direction of the sun, and determined that it was time to head back to the facility, hidden somewhere amongst the plains. Glancing at one of the droids, he nodded his head, unknowingly sending the robotic construct into its guaranteed demise. Pulling a Datapad from the interior of his cloak, he marked the test that had just finished a success.

When he was finished, he returned the Datapad to its place within his cloak and began to follow the Droid he sent ahead, of which was quite far ahead.

 

[Matt]

Damn.

Better to lose one of the droids then none but how the hell I was going to knock out the other droid I had no real idea, well I had several ideas but they were both a little on the optimistic side but it was time to take down the other droid first.

The field came up in a very large field shimmering with the trillions of ions battering into each other, the droid was caught directly in the middle of the field and it had worked wonderfully, if only both the droids and the damn jetii were in there as well.

I out my leg over my speeder bike and began shooting across the plain, I was a mile away but closing fast.

 

[Tzeentch]

The activation of the ionization field immediately sent Nier into a wary state, pulling Vergessenheit from his back and held it at his side. He may have used his dual lightsabers, however, his Master had disappeared before he could properly be taught one of the styles. That said, he was taught in the use of bladed weapons when he was younger, so he would be able to use the weapons, albeit in a swift yet simple fashion.

The Droid whose circuits weren't fried also raised its rifle to its midsection, the red sensor on its 'head' ominously scanning the surrounding area for any hostiles.

Nier strode forward, stopping just short of where the field was activated, his eyes flying from one area to another.

The skies continued to darken with clouds, shrouding the path in a light darkness.

 

[Matt]

I had them in my sights using the ageless trick of having the sun behind me but the Jetii had that bloody annoying early warning system of there's so I needed to move really quickly and chuck subtle actions out the window.

I locked onto the droid with my bike and hit the accelerator to the full power and hit my jet pack, I went flying off into the air with the flames from the back melting the seat off the bike but it kept on the same trajectory heading right for the droid.

Fighting a jedi was going to be hard enough, let alone one with a massive assault droid skulking along with it.

 

[Tzeentch]

The Droid, not affected by the rays of the sun, targeted the encroaching individual and fired, the sound of gunfire deafening to anyone nearby. However, it wasn't long before it was torn asunder when the bounty hunter's speeder rammed into it, sending both machines flying across the plains in a shower of shrapnel.

Nier on the other hand paid no heed to the destruction of his droid and merely kept his eye on the bounty hunter who had used his jet pack to escape the improvised battering ram that was formerly his speeder. The young man remained still, although he had bent his knees to prepare himself against his opponent.

His grip on Vergessenheit tightened as he eyed the hunter.

 

[Matt]

I pulled off the power sharply and let myself fall down...Well not gracefully but the Jetti wasn't going for the throat which was good as that was a pure gamble that thankfully paid off.

I turned to face the jetti, my HUD showing me all the information I had on him and it most certainly wasn't enough but these nutjobs had paid everything straight up so I wasn't going to turn down such a lucrative job.

''Always good to check I have the right man, Your Nier?''

 

[Tzeentch]

Instead of answering the man, Nier remained silent. His knees, already bent, lowered more before he rocketed towards the bounty hunter with the Force that he had been steadily gathering, allowing him to move with tremendous speed momentarily and indenting the ground and sending up dirt and grass.

Swiftly closing the distance by more than half, Nier raised his blade and struck downward at the man that, if not dodged, would either end the conflict before it began or maim him for life; the bounty hunter would have to react if he wished to escape the 8-foot reach of the massive weapon.

However, in the midst of Nier's swing, his Scrawl pulsed with Dark Energy, and, although it was retained within his specially made bandages, stunned him for a split second. It may or may not make a difference in the man's fate, as the stroke continued on its course in an attempt kill him was just as devastating as before.

His eye seemed to cloud with a foreboding darkness.

 

[Matt]

I had quick reactions along with quite alot of different little kicks running through my body but the Jetti still had the jumped on me, they were good at that and it always got very old.

As soon as I saw him brace for a jump forward I kicked my jetpack, the flame came bursting out which burned the ground below me before I went shooting off into the air avoiding the attack by a hairs breath.

As I went shooting off letting out a rather loud audible breath at the closeness of it I sent a rocket fro my wrist launcher at the Jetti trying to get some distance between us.

 

[Tzeentch]

Vergessenheit cleaved into the ground with horrifying ease where the bounty hunter stood just a second before, causing Nier's frown to deepen slightly as he ripped the blade out. However, he wasn't granted a moment's peace when he was forced to apply the Force once again and leap off to the side, the bounty hunter's rocket impacting his previous location and sending shrapnel-like debris into Nier's face.

He was also forced to remove his cloak, after tearing a certain part of it off, due to the fact that it had caught fire when the bounty hunter lifted himself off the burning soil with his jet pack.

Without much, if any, change in his expression even with a number of minor scratches and light burns, the silver-haired Jedi sent his own projectile weapon at the man.

A projectile in the form of a fairly large boulder, uplifted from the plain and sent flying towards the airborne individual.

It was beginning to be obvious; this Jedi was simply trying to kill the man, not seeming to take into consideration the Jedi Order's teachings. Something that would most likely be missed with Nier being so deep in Empire space.

 

[Matt]

The giant boulder was coming towards me and there wasn't much I could do about it but blow the thing up and take the inevitable hit from the debris. He sent one of his powerful rockets from his wrist that blew the boulder apart and brought up his powerful shield.

No actual damage got through but the force of hundreds of shards of rock hitting the shield sent me reeling and sadly I was still in the air, the blow faltered the power going to my jetpack and I feel 15 feet to the ground.

My shoulder was killing me but my suit sent painkillers straight to the centre of pain and increased my levels of adrenaline meaning I could keep fighting at the same level...For a time.

Well, screw this Jettii. I brought out my two pistol and begun blasting a wave of bolts straight at the Jettii.

 

[Tzeentch]

Releasing a silent breath through his nose, Nier began to move towards the fallen hunter the moment he had sent the boulder flying. However, his approach was disrupted when the man managed to get back to his feet and fired a volley of blaster bolts.

This caused Nier to rely on his evasive capabilities and Vergessenheit's mass to block a number of the bolts. Unfortunately for the young leader of Licht, the Scrawl acted up once more, stunning him during a vital moment and allowing one of the bolts to sear itself into his left shin, sending him to on knee.

Gritting his teeth, Nier cursed himself for letting his emotions get the better of him once again, of which was linked to the continuity of the Scrawl's interference. Quickly pulling himself up from the ground with the aid of Vergessenheit, he stood, albeit leaning on his right leg as his left emitted a small amount of smoke from the fresh wound.

"Just what is your name, Assassin?" A fairly simple question, one of which many Licht warriors asked their opponents worthy of their attention; while the bounty hunter wasn't the best or deadliest of individuals that Nier had gone up against, he was capable in his own right regardless.

A low growl rumbled in Nier's throat as he commenced to reign in his emotions to better himself in this conflict; he would need to, especially with an injured leg. No matter how minor it may have seemed, it could easily tilt the odds in the man's favor.

 

[Matt]

''I am the man who is going to collect your bounty. No offense but just good business Jettii''

I shot of another set of bolts from my pistol then quickly shot off another rocket. This Jettii was a powerful one but thankfully he rather oddly kept his lightsaber's away and instead used some huge sword...Well you can't block anything with a sword and this Jettii was going down.

Well hopefully as they were incredibly unpredictable and this one seemed a little on edge.

 

[Tzeentch]

Nier silently grunted; the only ones that he knew would put a bounty on his head would be the Schatten, and responded with a growl, "You had best not get ahead of yourself, lest you lose your life."

With the Scrawl sending minor waves of energy every few seconds, the level of distraction was quite high to say the least. However, it did not deter Nier from pumping the Force into his legs and, pushing the pain in his leg to the back of his mind, swiftly began to close the gap between him and his foe once again, weaving around a small number of bolts as well as blocking several with his blade; two bolts made it past his defenses, one striking him on his left forearm, and another just searing his right thigh.

The bounty hunter decided to send off another rocket as Nier was mere feet away from him, and, having no other option besides death, forced the young man to lift Vergessenheit and use it as his shield.

The resulting eruption of fire and explosives may or may not have affected the bounty hunter himself, but it did cause a thick cloud of dirt and smoke to prevent any normal vision on either side. It took several seconds for the smoke to clear enough for one to see what it had hidden away.

Nier's lone eye, flecked with gold, glared at the hunter, his face singed and bloodied and teeth bared as he took deep breaths. His body too was injured significantly, particularly his right arm and torso, having taken the damage that Vergessenheit wasn't able to hold back; amazingly, the massive blade was still intact, although if closely inspected, one could see a number of cracks on its metal surface.

Not only was he severely injured, but the explosion had burnt away a large amount of Nier's bandages, displaying the Scrawl as it calmly flowed over what little skin remained on his arm, it being seemingly untouched by any of the harm received from the rocket.

Flesh burnt and skin torn away, his hand remained grasping the hilt of the weapon, even as it shook with unimaginable agony. Clicking his tongue, the young Licht fell to one knee and, his eye piercing the hunter's own as it stayed open, succumbed to unconsciousness.

 

[Matt]

''Well, that was unexpected''

I ran forward to secure the Jettii as quickly as possible as I didn't fancy taking any chances if I had him down. I tied up his legs and arms making sure they were secure and in place and had a strange feeling to burst out laughing at the rather strange looking bloke but I stopped myself.

Karma had a way of coming back to hit you and my ship wouldn't be here for another ten minutes but I had something to keep me busy, it wasn't normal for a bounty to have..writing on his arms...

 

[Tzeentch]

And karma did have its way in the form of the droid that was devastated by the hunter's speeder. The droid was far out of the way, a portion of its torso crushed and its lower half completely torn asunder when the speeder had collided with it. However, the main problem, for the hunter, was the fact that it was still operational and sending data to another location.

It successfully did so the moment Nier had fallen, before its already faded sensor finally went black.

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Location: Dantooine; Undisclosed

The light from the terminal was the only source of light in the dark chamber, revealing a dark haired woman in the darkness as she watched the scene playing out in front of her, her grip tightening slightly the more she saw. When the last of the footage ended, she exhaled and stared at the screen before speaking lowly, "CV0, send out Fragment 7 to retrieve Nier of Licht. Use of lethal force is authorized."

CV0, an immense droid wielding a giant halberd-like weapon, merely 'nodded,' "As you wish, Lord Executor." Within the next moment, approximately a dozen circular sensors lit up inside another room of the facility, each glowing a menacing crimson.

The sounds of metallic marching could be heard throughout the structure as they moved from underground towards the recent area of conflict.

It would take them about ten minutes to arrive.

 

[Matt]

Come on...Come on....

I moved forward and dragged the dead weight closer to the direction the ship was coming in at when my HUD picked up another rather large contact coming in and this was big and coming directly towards me.

''Osik!'

The good thing about Dantooine was these plains were very flat and very easy to see things miles away. My helmet HUD moved to maximum magnification in the direction of the contact and saw something that chilled my blood.

''Another of those bloody droids''

Resisting the urge to kick the Jedi I punched in some choice commands to my armour control on my wrist sending the order for my ship to hurry up.

Getting the Jedi onboard and myself onboard the ship before the droid got here would be tight....Very tight.

 

[Tzeentch]

Like Eric Vizla, the Droids had the bounty hunter in their sights moments before he had even noticed them. Thankfully for the fortune-seeking individual, none of the droids possessed weaponry effective at such a distance between them. It did not stop the front row of six 6'6" battle droids from locking on to him and lowering their heavy weapons to their sides.

The fact that Nier was unconscious and defenseless also didn't seem to affect their actions either.

The moment the metallic soldiers passed the 600-foot distance between themselves and Vizla, the six in front immediately began to fire, the large rounds of the slugthrowers screaming around the man, with a fair number flying far too close for any form of comfort.

Vizla's ship had better arrive in the next few seconds, because chances were that a single one of those rounds would put more than a dent in his armor.

 

[Matt]

''Osik!''

I jumped to the side as the droids seemed to close the distance bloody quickly sending there heavy rounds flying but luckily they were not the most accurate at such a long distance but they still got far to close to comfort.

I dragged the Jedi towards my ship which was just visible now and activated my shield which would help but wouldn't do anything about a direct hit. The ship closed the distance quickly pivoting on his axis before landing on the surface with all hell breaking loose.

I pulled the Jedi quickly forward before unceremoniously chucking him into the holding bay before running flat out to the bridge flicking on the weapons systems and bringing them round to face the droids.

God, even from the ship they looked huge.