Machinations (Toprawa)

[Cain]

The pale light from Gus Talon shone down through the gaping maw of shattered glass at the end of the apartment, the wind from outside whipping freely through the abandoned tenement, the ice and rain having already severely worn and weathered the interior after decades of exposure. Upon the precipice where the carbon scored durasteel floor gave way to a straight drop into an infinite void below stood Jack, his back to the elements, staring into the shadows that encroached on him from inside the apartment.

"The answers you seek are here," rasped the coldly familiar voice of Lynn Akunin, the sound coming from the shadows just beyond what Jack could see, "Come claim them if you can..."

Jack's normally apathetic expression twisted slightly with contempt at the goading of his old master. Slowly drawing his katana from its sheathe at his back, Jack pressed forward into the apartment with caution. As he moved beyond the safety of the moon's light, a thick fog seemed to rise up and wrap itself around him. At this point it would be impossible to see even with his lightsaber. Closing his eyes, Jack opened himself up to the Force, probing the area around him for something, anything he could grab a hold of. What he was looking for was there, he could sense it faintly, however it was still just beyond his grasp; elusive.

"The fog of your mind is still too thick," Lynn taunted, her voice seeming much nearer now, "you cannot possibly hope to make sense of it, armed as you are."

"Play your games while you still can, hag," Jack hissed back under his breath. As he pushed deeper Jack began to feel something on the farthest edge of his perception. It was so faint that Jack froze for fear of any wrong movement causing it to slip away once again into the darkness. After a long moment of concentration, Jack began to ebb forward even more slowly than before. Finally the fog seemed to break around a small pyramid situated upon a pedestal, a red light slowly radiating from its core. Holding its presence in his perceptions was an arduous task, and Jack could feel his body growing fatigued, his muscles becoming weak. With his heart pounding, Jack extended his hand toward the glowing beacon. Immediately as his fingertips made contact with the object, a paralyzing pain shot from temple to temple as if Jack had been stabbed through the skull with a vibroblade. Immediately Jack let out a scream and crumpled back into the shadow and fog.

The sound of Jack's scream was cut off abruptly as the corporeal world flooded back in around him. Jack let out a deep, shuddered breath as he came to from his meditation. He was seated on the floor of his quarters on board his freighter, his long hair matted against his face from sweat. He wore only a loose fitting pair of pants, leaving his torso exposed along with the many scars that streaked a criss-cross pattern over his chest. Some bandages were wrapped around his abdomen and ribs, blotches of fresh red blood beginning to seep through. It took a long while for Jack to catch his breath, time he used to contemplate exactly what it was he was doing wrong. It had been three years since he had used the Force to drain the knowledge of his former master. Certainly by now he had expected to have gained access to the secrets she'd kept from him; the things that were on that holocron she had guarded so closely. And yet, the answers still eluded him. Jack's mind was still as dark and foreboding as it had been all those years ago, and despite an exhaustive search he still could not find the means with which to illuminate it.

Jack could only hope that the Sith had the answers he was after, otherwise what he was doing now would only prove to be a big, dangerous waste of time. As Jack sat composing himself, obsessing as he always did over matters such as these, the minutes and perhaps even hours melted away. At some point Jack's thought process was interrupted by the buzzing of the alarm signifying that the ship was about to drop out of hyperspace. Running a hand back through hair to set it back into place, Jack rose from his seat on the floor and collected his clothes and weapons.

The freighter had arrived over an out of the way wilderness in the outer rim territories; Toprawa. After their run in with the Jedi, Jack thought it best that they do some of their recruiting away from the Core worlds for a while. Nieraan seemed to be still in his own quarters, though Kyo had already worked his way up to the front of the ship, settling himself down into the co-pilot's seat.

Slipping his jacket back over his shoulders and re-popping the collar, Jack moved into the pilot's seat, not acknowledging the young Jedi's presence in one way or another. Traffic moving in or out of Salik City was virtually non existent, as the planet did not routinely receive visitors. Jack brought the ship down onto a vacant star port where only a single elderly human male stepped out to greet him. The man appeared to be so old and infirm that it would take little more than a stiff breeze to perform his coup de grace. Jack gave the man the new registry for his ship that he had stolen from Metellos. No use in coming all the way out here to hide just to leave another trail for the Jedi to follow. Once the old man had hobbled away, Jack sent a coded transmission out to Tesa, informing her of their coordinates.

Jack figured they could use the forests of Toprawa to their advantage, at least for the time being while they waited for Tesa. It would also provide an adequate back drop for training, which their new Jedi companion sorely needed.

Kyo kept up a steady pace, trying to get a feel for these people who he now traveled with. Jack was an especially tough egg to crack, his thoughts constantly clouded from Kyo's view. As Jack began to lead them away from the city, a twinge of doubt as to whether or not Kyo had made the right decision began to bubble up from his gut. He shook his head quickly, dismissing the doubt as best he could. Jack would help him find his brother, and that was more than the Jedi were willing to do.

[elunim]

Sitting on a stool in a seedy cantina was a brown haired human, a shot glass in front of him. The smoke filled the place, while his memories filled his mind. Achilar envisioned his fondest memories of the past, no matter how strange they could have seemed to an outsiders’ perspective. Metreck had never imagined that it would all end the way it did, despite the hazardous line of work he and his people were in. Sipping his drink, his eyes looked around to assess his situation. Shortly after leaving Gargon, he headed on out towards Toprawa in the hopes that no one would follow. He was now all lone, something he had never gone through in the past. Without the guidance of Lubrinip, or Situn’s orders, he was dumbfounded by his choices. What few connections he had from his past life, he figured that they would simply rat him out to the new boss.

The cantina was filled with strange looking aliens and humanoids alike, all drinking and speaking loudly. Not only that, but Achilar felt a strange feeling at the back of his head. As if there was something wrong, terribly wrong. His elbows rested against the counter, his head turning to his sides constantly, as if scouting for danger. Simply put, he really was. Whenever he got those types of sensations, he often found them to be true, so not heeding them was just out of the question. The thing that was bothering him the most was the bartender, who regularly looked right at him, an inquisitive look in his eyes. “Something wrong? He asked nonchalantly, trying to appear as cool as possible.

“Nah, itz all good. More drink?” The odd looking barkeep inquired with that strange accent of his. For a brief second Achilar just kept a blank stare, trying to figure out what was really going on. “I’m good...” He stated while his hand motioned to his sides, trying to emphasize his denial. On another day, that would have probably been the end for that little interaction, just not today. The bartender stepped in his direction, the bottle ready to pour its contents on the emptied glass. The moment that Metreck tried stopping the man from pouring the fiery liquid, his hands tipped the shot glass over, while the barkeep himself made quite the mess in response. The young Achilar looked at the situation, the comical and stupid reaction from the weird ass bartender. His face reverted back to its usual blank stare, a sudden urge to just force the man to swallow his teeth whole.

“That’s just great...” He whispered mostly to himself as he got up from his seat, his hands swinging from side to side to dry off. “So sorry, so sorry! Restroom, please!” The barkeep frantically tried apologizing, while pointing towards a door, which Metreck figured to be the restroom. It wasn’t with much surprise that the Gargonian accepted the offer, all the while contemplating on the idea of putting a few holes in the man’s body. Achilar stepped through the floor, looking at the sorry state he was now in due to the incompetency of another. The beverage would stain the upper part of his armour, he could already envision the smudgy marks on the metallic plates. The moment he opened the door, he immediately turned on the water so he could wet his hands. But then his eyes looked in the mirror, for a moment they lingered on the reflected image. A sense of failure washed over him, he hadn’t been able to prevent the events that made him leave Gargon.

The sense of failure was overwhelming, the seething rage starting to grow. An angry punch was sent straight at his reflection, the mirror in turn shattering before him. Blood dripped from his hand, but he simply did not care. “I need a drink...” Metreck mumbled to himself as he turned on his heels, the door opening before him. On the distance he could see a pair of aliens speaking with that same bartender, in response his eyes opened in surprise. It was Nex, the freaking Zabraki was there. Without hesitation he walked to his left through some tables, trying to look as inconspicuous as humanly possible. Through his peripheral vision he could see that the barkeep was now pointing towards the restroom, he had been right all along. Achilar cursed at himself in his head for not listening to his own instincts once more, this could very well be the end of him.

Somehow he had been followed, Toprawa wasn’t safe anymore. Just as quickly as he had been cursing at himself, his mind was already quieting itself. His instincts were sharpened, adrenaline coursing through his veins. Moving through the hazy and dark establishment was not easy, so instead he quickly sat down on an empty stool before he was noticed. It was with a sigh of relief that he witnessed the two oblivious hunters heading towards the restroom, fortunately he hadn’t been spotted just yet. The moment that they passed by him, he shot out from the stool he was on and started once more his stroll towards the exit. Alas, his attempt wouldn’t come to be, since the bartender recognized him just after a few meters. Their eyes met, and for a moment, just a single moment, he could feel the sense of dread plastered on the man’s face.

Most people would have dashed towards the exit in that same second, hoping to escape the situation and the hunters altogether. Achilar however wasn’t like most people, his hand was already gripping the handle of his MAP-77, his intent vicious in nature. A fast draw and a tug at the trigger was all it took to blow the barkeep’s face off. The ringing it left on Metreck’s ears was annoying to say the least, but it had appeased his violent nature for now. After that, there was utter chaos. The patrons started to shoot at one another, at him, or just trying to get away. Achilar just wasn’t going to stay there to exchange shots with any of them, he was close enough to the door to make a run for it. His mind just hoped that it would be enough to confuse and delay his pursuers.

The sun greeted him as he stepped outside, welcoming him with open arms as if greeting an old friend. This was one of those times where said friend would have been ignored, for there was no time for it. Immediately he looked around, trying to understand the best way to get out of there. A little far out he could see a good looking woman sitting on a worn out landspeeder. “Got it!” He mumbled as he darted towards the female, good thing that he was quick as lightning, since it appeared that the woman was suspicious of his motives. In a heartbeat he was on top of her, yanking her from the vehicle and into the ground. The moment that his buttocks touched the seat, he noticed someone exiting the establishment. “Nex!” Achilar whispered as he sped away from the scene.

[Rugs]

A sudden shift lurched its way through Nieraan's stomach. He rolled over on his small bed, muttering incoherent complaints and putting an arm up over his eyes. A moment later there was another shift, more gentle this time, though it was enough to rouse the Firrerreo from his sleep.

He sat up on the bed, wiping his eyes as his mind caught up with what was going on and where he was. A ship. Yes, he was on a ship with Jack, after they left Metellos. He hadn't gone there with Jack, but given the circumstances that'd come up back on that festering hellhole, he'd thought it prudent to take his leave with him.

Oh yeah... the Jedi... The memories came back then, as Nieraan's hands fell away from rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He had been right in his thinking, back when he'd been sitting at that table with Jack. The Jedi had proved to be thrilling foes. Perhaps even a little too thrilling. But they'd escaped, injuries and all, and Nieraan was sure they were in some way stronger for it. Maybe.

He took a moment more to gather himself and let his body wake up further before he got out of the bed and threw his arms out to either side, stretching his back and loosening up muscles that had knotted up during his sleep. While the little bed was definitely better than the metal floor, it wasn't much softer. Then again, growing up on the streets of Metellos had made Nieraan used to it, if not worse.

After his stretch, he walked over to the small, rectangular mirror that was propped up on the wall across from his bed. His jacket was hanging from a peg on the wall near the door, leaving him in the smoggy grey shirt he wore beneath. It fit well over his muscular form, though the events on Metellos had it looking a bit worse for wear. Nothing his jacket couldn't hide, but he supposed he'd have to find another shirt to wear while they were in port if the chance arose. As far as he could tell and feel, most of the injuries he'd taken on Metellos had healed. That was good, though not unexpected. Being a Firrerreo had its perks, after. Poor Jack would probably still be healing.

Once satisfied with his brief inspection of himself, Nieraan picked up his trio of lightsabers and clipped them back onto their places at his waist. Then he was heading out the door, picking up his jacket and putting it on as he walked out into the hallway.

Much as he'd expected, the shifting he'd felt from the ship had been them arriving out of hyperspace to their next destination. Toprawa, if he remembered what Jack'd told him correctly. Not that it mattered much; he'd never been to the place, but as long as they didn't have another immediate run-in with some Jedi, things would probably be fine.

The landing didn't take long, and soon they were off of the ship and walking, heading away from whatever city is was they'd touched down in. Nieraan pulled his presence in as they moved. He couldn't hide it completely, not without a great deal of concentration that was often too easy to break and more trouble than it was worth, but he could lessen it somewhat. Mute it. It was better than nothing, and he planned to keep it that way for a little while. Especially while he tried to figure out where he stood on the fellow they'd picked up on Metellos.

"So, Makura," he muttered as they walked, stuffing his hands into his jacket pockets as a warm, dry breeze started to blow, "what's the plan here?" A flurry of activity inside a building nearby, what he assumed was a bar from a cursory glance, tickled at his senses and caught his attention briefly. "I don't suppose we should be expecting to run into more friends of yours again, hm?"

[Cain]

((Sorry for the delay!))

"The Jedi won't find us here," Jack assured Nieraan, "we should have ample time to regroup and to... make use of our new friend here," Jack said, glancing back over his shoulder at Kyo. The young Jedi Knight lagged behind the two Sith by a good ten meters as he nervously soaked in his surroundings. The boy clumsily projected his emotions, Jack could sense his confusion and apprehension quite clearly. It was obvious that his Jedi masters hadn't stressed to him the importance of such things, but it was all just as well. Kyo's emotions only made him easier prey.

Jack grimaced lightly, favoring his left side as he led the walk through Salik City towards the Toprawa wilderness. There was little doubt that his ribs had been cracked; each step was a sharp reminder of that. Jack didn't mind the pain too terribly, at the very least it was a nice distraction from the rhythmic pounding inside his head. Pain was the least of Jack's worries as Toprawa's sun began to sink below the distant tree line. Time was running out, and in more ways than one. Having attracted the attention of the Jedi was an unfortunate set back, but not an insurmountable one. The Jedi weren't the ones to be concerned with, after all. The real test was still yet to come.

Following one of the main civilian promenades through the market district, eventually Jack led the group to the city limits. A wall of vegetation stood in their path, darkness obscuring what lay beyond. Jack hesitated, the opaque veil of shadow conjuring the familiar voices in his head, "You never could take that last step. The answers you seek are here. Come claim them if you can." Jack winced as his master's shrill voice reverberated in his head. Immediately he reached into his jacket for some medicine.

As Jack lit up his cigarette, Kyo had managed to catch up to his Sith guides. Kyo's mind had wandered in so many directions during the walk that he almost didn't notice his new master and nearly plowed right into him. Kyo stopped himself just short of Jack with a not so graceful stumble. He waited silently for Jack to speak first, not having the words nor the fortitude to question this man quite yet.

Jack took a long, slow inhale from his bloodstripe, the smoke filling his lungs and nicotine flooding his body sent a potent, if not extremely abbreviated, wave of catharsis over Jack. It was enough for him to recollect himself at least. Jack surveyed his surroundings, finding the streets to be mostly empty with the exception of a few stragglers here and there. Odd for a major city at this hour, at least, in the core it was. Jack hadn't been to the out rim much at all with the exception of Korriban, and one could hardly hold that as a standard, "You're a healer?" Jack asked, exhaling a cloud of smoke.

Kyo nodded, but after noticing that Jack wasn't looking in his direction he quickly spoke up, "Yes, I am."

"Good..."

"Do you need healing?" Kyo asked, taking notice of Jack still favoring his left side.

Jack shook his head, "That shouldn't be necessary," he answered. Jack obviously did need medical attention, but he didn't much like the idea of giving this Jedi, or anyone for that matter, permission to use to the Force on him. Maybe it was prudence, or perhaps just pride, but Jack had a better idea. While Jack had been able to demonstrate his skills clearly enough to the Sith on Korriban when fighting Tesa, the recent confrontation with the Jedi Master on Metellos hadn't left him looking very competent. Now was as good a time as ever to test the progress of his powers, and to demonstrate just what it was he had to offer, "You've been trained to use the healing trance. Use it."

Kyo looked puzzled, unsure of what to make of Jack's request, "Healing meditation? On myself? But, I'm not injured..."

"Use it," Jack echoed coldly, the Force subtly pressuring the boy's fragile emotions. Kyo nodded, settling down to his knees and beginning to concentrate on healing, as he had so ofter before, "and whatever you do," Jack continued, "don't struggle."

Kyo didn't have much time to wonder what Jack had meant. As he began his trance, Jack settled himself down as well, the Force like a plague of rotgrubs began to borrow its way into Kyo's subconscious. The Jedi immediately doubled over, grabbing his skull in both hands and letting out an agonized grunt. Unconsciously Kyo was fighting against the foreign influence, but his defenses were meager and Jack easily overwhelmed them. From there he began to siphon information from Kyo, this time pacing himself and streaming the knowledge in slowly as opposed to viciously ripping it from the mind all at once. While this took a good deal more time, Jack could actually comprehend most of what he was receiving now.

For Kyo, the ordeal was torturous, as if having maggots hatching inside his head and eating their way to the surface. After about five minutes of it Kyo simply passed out. At that point, Jack could have taken his time and left the Jedi catatonic; but instead he relented. There was nothing to gain in killing him yet. Jack was curious as to what Nieraan would think of this, however. He didn't wait to ask, "The Jedi we fought was a new member of the Jedi High Council... and what's more," Jack paused a moment, attempting to sort and make sense of the new information he'd received. Most of it was flashes, memories that had still been fresh in Kyo's mind. A recent shifting of the Jedi High Council, including this Master Quan, was most intriguing. The only thing Jack could discern as the cause was a small snip-it of a conversation Kyo had had with Si Quan about a Master Beleren. Jack had no idea who that was, and the information he'd recovered offered no further clues, "The Council seems to be undergoing a bit of turmoil. I'm sure that the Dark Overlord would enjoy this information." Jack finished his sentence with a slight chuckle, glancing up at Nieraan, "Oh well..."

[elunim]

The sound of the landspeeder was deafening, removing all other possible sounds from the equation altogether. At the velocity that the vehicle was moving, it was only normal that the wind caressed Achilar’s cheeks. Streams of crimson energy flew past him into the distance, for the hunters weren’t afraid of firing in the middle of the street. Few people were outside, this was after all a planet in the Outer Regions of the Galaxy. Despite those few numbers, he still had to decelerate several times, while steering the landspeeder so he wouldn’t hit anyone. People screamed at him, cursing him for his recklessness but he didn’t hear them, so focused that he was on what he was doing.

There was no other focus but what was ahead of him, everything else was but a blur. After a while Metreck looked back, trying to see if he was still being pursued. A brief smirk appeared on his face, he was pleased that no one was there. Still, after a few seconds more streams of energy flew past him. In an instant his neck snapped backwards, the smirk wasn’t there anymore. Nex and his colleague were on separate vehicles chasing him, they weren’t ready to give up on the hunt. Good thing that the motion of their landspeeders dramatically reduced their accuracy, otherwise Achilar wouldn’t be so sure of his chances. “I need to get away...” He thought to himself as he pulled on the throttle. What few people were walking by were now trying to escape, the shooting would have accomplished that anywhere.

Achilar made a quick turn to the right, nearly crashing into a building, but his mind didn’t even register the danger. One way or another he had to get away, even if it killed him. It wouldn’t be Nex and his ‘friend’ that would finish him, that just wasn’t a viable option. But yet, they were moving closer on him with every passing second, the junk that the woman used to wander through the planet’s surface was pitiful at best. It was obvious that the duo of hunters were much better equipped than he was, they had after all prepared themselves for the situation. Biting his lip he suddenly made another turn, only this time for the left so he would reach the forest within very little time.

What the Gargonian figured was rather simple, he imagined that amidst all of the trees even they would have to decrease their speed. They would be more evenly matched, and his own battered landspeeder would be enough for the undertaking. Everything seemed to slow down, even though it was just a matter of perspective. Achilar noticed how the unknown hunter managed to approach him from the side, using his vehicle as a battering ram against him. The massive metallic beast roared in delight as it scratched its prey, smoke coming from the side of the landspeeder. Why the alien hadn’t shot him was beyond him, instead it seemed as if he desired to take Metreck alive.

Another strike with the highly mobile ram was made against him, but Achilar didn’t budge even an inch. He was determined to make it across town and into the forest, no matter what they tried. A strange group of people could be seen in the distance, near the edge of the forest. Strange because at least a couple seemed to be seating on the floor, but that hardly mattered at that point. The vehicle was battered but it still sped away in the direction of the tree line, Achilar clenched his teeth for he too now was about to use his landspeeder as a battering ram. The hunter seemed surprised and relented for a second, his vehicle being left behind in the process. Within seconds Achilar moved past the group of people, uncaring if he could have hit them while making a run for it.

Blaster fire once more passed by him, the hunters were tired of the chase. But now he was on dangerous ground, it would even out the odds for him. Moving past the trees at high speed was near suicidal, so close that some of them were to each other. But after a while an idea popped in his head, urging him to make a decision on quick notice. Pulling the throttle as much as he could, the landspeeder reached full speed within an instant, directly aimed towards some trees in the distance. His legs received a jolt of energy, sending his body flying onto the ground while Achilar tried to break the fall. The somersault was mildly successful, pain became predominant in his mind for a quick second. Metreck knew that the possibility of success was very low, no doubt Nex and his partner would see him jumping from his vehicle.

Alas, that was inconsequential for it simply did not matter at that time. The speed in which they moved, coupled with the close proximity that they had to him made it near impossible to stop in time. When the battered landspeeder crashed and exploded they were disoriented, one seemed to have stopped to a grounding halt while the other exploded not too far ahead. Grunting with pain, Achilar got up as quickly as he could, his hand going towards his ranged weapon in a second. Assuming a firing position he did his best to cover the distance between him and the hunters, his feet treading lightly through the forest floor. A blaster bolt passed by his ear, leaving the ringing in it. It seemed that only one of the hunters was firing, since the shots came from only one position.

Metreck returned fire as best he could from the cover of a nearby tree, his eyes constantly trying to see where to aim and fire. Apart from the shots, nothing else was heard, it was as if there was nothing else but them. The young Gargonian allowed his mind to empty itself, it was an instinctual decision that he made. His back was turned against the tree, blaster bolts flying past his position. Making a quick turn to his left he started firing back once more, suddenly a scream filling his ears. Someone was cursing the heavens, it seemed that he had hit his mark. Yet, he did not charge blindly, instead taking his time to reassess his situation, take it all in. He moved cautiously but steadily towards the direction of the screams, it appeared like Nex’s voice. Seconds later his eyes rested against the Zabraki who held the upper part of his torso in anguish, it had been a direct hit.

“How did you find me, Nex? Who else knows that you’re here?” Achilar asked while his blaster was gently pointed at the hunter’s head. “No one... I was chasing a lead...” Nex replied in clear agony. “You wouldn’t be lying to me, would you? Would you?!” He shouted the last part as the butt of his weapon clashed against the Zabraki’s skull. Blood dripped from the top of the alien’s head, a small wound making an appearance. “I’m telling you the truth...” The hunter answered Achilar’s question as he gasped for air. “Good!” Was the last word that the Zabraki would ever hear in his lifetime, since Metreck’s trigger was gently squeezed. Staring at the ground for a second, the Gargonian wondered what he should do. He wouldn’t be safe here anymore, more would follow sooner or later. It was time to leave.

[Rugs]

Nieraan gave a simple grunt in reply to Jack. It was probably best that they avoid running into Jedi again for a little while. Not that he'd mind a fight if it came to him, but the last one had been something...

Besides, Jack didn't need to go getting more roughed up than he already likely was. Though the memory of him running at that Jedi, sword held high, and getting sent through a table brought a little smirk of amusement to Nieraan's face. It was funny, thinking back on it.

Nieraan glanced off at the Jedi with them at the mention of their new companion. What do you want with him anyway, Makura? His presence screamed that he was nervous in the Force, though Nieraan couldn't blame him too much. Maybe.

Guess he'll be fine, long as he doesn't do anything stupid.

Eventually, while they walked on toward the edge of the city, Nieraan broke off from the group. "I'll catch up in a minute," he muttered to Jack as he turned off and toward a store. He still needed a replacement for the shirt he presently had, and they were passing by a general store. So in he went, to go shopping for a minute.

He emerged a little while later, with a shirt in hand. It was simple and plain, much like the one he already wore under his jacket, though it was a dark green instead of grey. It was also quite stolen, but the cashier didn't know that. Lacking Nieraan ability to influence others with the Force might have been, but he could still mind trick the occasional simpleton.

Catching up with the group wasn't much of a problem. Nieraan had grown accustomed enough to Jack's presence that he was able to pick it out and follow it out to the edge of the city, near a wall of vegetation that he assumed was the edge of the forest.

Curiously enough, he arrived to see Jack and the Jedi seated, looking like they were both meditating. Nieraan paused, lifting a dark brow as he hung the shirt he was carrying over his shoulder.

"Jack?"

His brow went from raised to furrowed as he leaned back against a lamppost and folded his arms over his chest. What are they doing? The Force moved and stirred between them. Jack looked alright, but Kyo was starting to double over, grabbing at his temples and making pained noises.

For a moment, Nieraan's mind returned him to Metellos, to seeing the Jedi suddenly wince and grab the side of his head. "I only need five minutes," Jack had said. Then he'd gone away, and the Jedi's pains and followed.

Is that what you're doing, Makura? Nieraan wondered, looking at Jack, then the Jedi.

Suddenly the Kyo's presence changed, and he slumped limply and rather undignifiedly to the ground. He was still alive. Just unconscious. Nieraan grunted slightly.

"The Jedi we fought was a new member of the Jedi High Council... and what's more," Jack said after a moment. Nieraan lifted his brows slightly. The High Council? They were the best of the best, or that's what the stories said, anyway.

"The Council seems to be undergoing a bit of turmoil. I'm sure that the Dark Overlord would enjoy this information. Oh well..."

"Is that so?" he said, thinking over his words carefully. How does Jack know that? His yellow eyes flicked from Jack to Kyo, slumped over on the ground, and realization started to dawn. I see... he thought, looking back to Jack. He made sure to keep his emotions neutral, but the thought of what Jack did was almost unsettling. Almost.

Flexing your muscles, are you? He shifted against the pole, moving his weight to another leg. He'd still have to be wary of Jack. Physically weak he might have been, but he wasn't someone to take lightly. But Nieraan already knew this.

"I'm sure Iniquitous would like to know, if he doesn't know already," he agreed. "What he does know might depend on how much he chooses to come out of his hidey-hole." He stood up from the post and walked over to Kyo, using his foot to turn the Jedi over so that he was laying flat on his back. "I suppose the question now is what you want to do with this information." He prodded the Kyo with his foot again. "And this one. Though..."

Suddenly something in the Force had captured Nieraan's attention. He turned his head, as if hearing some distant noise as he looked off toward the disturbance. "Speaking of turmoil..." he muttered, turning his body fully in the direction, to a place a little ways to the east of them. He glanced at Jack briefly. "Do you feel it?"

There was a loud sound, coalescing a moment later into the sound of roaring engines, and then an explosion. The sound of blaster fire rang out through the trees, sending a flight of birds scattering off into the skies. Nieraan looked back at Jack. Something was afoot.

[Cain]

Regarding the crumpled Jedi who lay prone on the sidewalk, Jack's expression remained unaltered as Nieraan responded to the revelations Jack had shared with him. The revelations garnered from the mind of the very same Jedi.

"I'm sure Iniquitous would like to know, if he doesn't know already. What he does know might depend on how much he chooses to come out of his hidey-hole."

Nieraan's comments concerning the Dark Overlord drew Jack's attention
away from Kyo and back to his Sith peer, "If Iniquitous knew of this I doubt he would do much with the information, Jack responded flatly, "The Dark Overlord has grown too content to be roused into action, even if such an advantage should reach his ear. Even during our brief interactions this much has been made obvious,"[/color] Jack cut himself off, swallowing the rest of his thoughts in order to let his previous words sink in and have their desired effect.

Iniquitous' vision for the Sith was one in stark contrast to Jack's understanding of the nature of the dark side. The Overlord sought to consolidate the Sith Order, opening the halls of Korriban to those all too easily seduced by flimsy promises of camaraderie and so called "power"; power of hatred, power of anger, power to kill. In reality referring to such boasts as being "of the dark side" were all at once laughable and insulting to Jack. The Force was not something you simply fall into with a temper tantrum, as so many of the Fallen Jedi who infected Iniquitous' Order had. The dark side chose you, if you were worthy of it, if you had the will to rule it rather than simply giving in and letting it rule you. This Sith Order seemed to have no concept of what power over the dark side really meant. Iniquitous was content to rob the Sith of their advantage and play down to the level of the Jedi. It was pitiful in a way, but not something that Jack was extremely eager to point out. The Sith's ignorance was his advantage, after all. Jack really had no desire to reform a broken Order, it was a waste of resources, rather the best course of action was, undeniably, exploitation. It had already begun.

As Jack considered his next words for strategic effectiveness, a ripple in the Force redirected his attention.

"Do you feel it?" Nieraan asked.

Of course Jack had felt it and offered no response. The distraction made itself more intrusive as the sounds of blaster fire and shriek of engines broke the stoic silence of the seemingly empty streets. What now? Jack thought to himself, expressing his inner monologue with loud sigh.

"Let's have a look," Jack said, cracking his neck and stretching his limbs before starting in the direction of the disturbance, "leave the Jedi," he continued, glancing back at Nieraan, "We won't be long."

[Cadyren]

Cadyren’s throat was raw from all of the coughing he had done for the past he didn’t even know how long, but other then that he felt fine. Shortly before Nieraan had left Cad had fallen ill, and his master had left him at Korriban rather then have to drag the young Sith along with him.

Cadyren knew where he was going though, so when he felt better he would be able to meet back up with him. He wasn’t exactly sure what Nieraan was trying to do, but Cadyren didn’t really care either. All he knew was that he was meeting him on Toprawa, some world in the outer rim that Cadyren had never heard of.

Cad was currently on a small transport shuttle that he had picked up after getting off Korriban. To say he had stolen it wouldn’t have been entirely true. The previous owner had been more then willing to give Cadyren the ship after he had shown him his lightsaber…

Cadyren was in the pilot’s seat when he came out of Hyperspace, and quickly noticed the lack of traffic coming in and out of the system. It was pretty easy to tell why too, it looked like the entire planet was just one big forest. Seems pretty out of the way, I wonder what Nieraan is planning…

--------

Once Cadyren had landed the ship he walked to the back of the ship to retrieve his items, clipping his blaster holster and his lightsaber to his belt. He wore a pair of loose fitting black pants and a white shirt with a grey jacket, and those were the only clothes he had brought.

Cadyren left quickly, he could sense that a familiar presence was nearby. It was still to far away for Cadyren to be able to pinpoint its exact location, but it was enough for Cadyren to know which direction he had to go.

As he walked through the city he passed by a man that was standing in front of some store, his expression seeming both angry and confused. He said something about a shirt he had given away, and that he didn’t know what had possessed to him to not make some guy pay for it. Would that be your work Nieraan, Stealing shirts now are we?

When Cadyren finally found Nieraan, he was in a conversation with one man while another was in unconscious on the ground. He saw a shirt hanging over Nieraan’s shoulder, and assumed that it was the one that had been stolen. Cadyren was about a dozen meters away from the duo when he felt something strange, a ripple in the Force perhaps? Then there was the sound of engines and blaster fire. The man that was conscious looked at Nieraan and told him that they should go check it out. Cadyren picked up his pace a little bit, though he didn’t call out to Nieraan. His master probably already knew he was there and perhaps even the second man. Cadyren could feel the dark side of the Force, but how powerful the man really was, Cadyren could not tell.

[Rugs]

{So with elunim... MIA, we're just gonna move on without him for now}


Nieraan glanced back to the unconscious Jedi and shrugged. "Alright. But don't blame me if he goes missing." There was a dry sort of sarcasm in his voice, easily missed for someone that might not know him, but Jack was more familiar than that.

Following Jack's instruction, Nieraan turned away from the Jedi and began to walk in the direction the sounds had come from. Surprisingly, the calamity had faded to silence as quickly as it arose, leaving only the sound of the wind in the trees behind. The Firrerreo paused, brow knitted slightly. "It's gone."

In the wake of the disturbance's absence, Nieraan felt another presence that he hadn't noticed before. Cadyren. He recognized the boy's presence in the Force so well that he didn't need to see him to confirm what he knew to be true. As he silently chided himself for letting the boy get so close without paying attention, he looked over his shoulder and gave Cadyren an acknowledging glance.

"Nice of you to finally pry yourself outta your bed to come join us." Nieraan briefly studied the boy out of the corner of a yellow eye. He looked alright. There was some color in his cheeks and he wasn't threatening to cough up an organ, as he had been when Nieraan left him behind in the Temple.

"You heard the noise too, didn't you? Did you feel it?"

Nieraan looked back at where the explosions came from. The vegetation was too thick to see anything from where he stood. So he pushed ahead, forcing leaves and branches aside to clear a way through, assuming his companions would follow.

After a few moments of trekking, they came to the source of the disturbance. A speeder--or what was left of one--was jammed in the broad trunk of an old tree. The tree, in turn was splintered and broken. Some of the great boughs near the bottom collapsed, leaving the speeder crushed beneath their weight. Nieraan could see if anyone was under the wreckage, but he didn't feel anything.

The speeder was smoldering. Tiny tongues of flame licked out occasionally from beneath its hood.

"So that's what it was," Nieraan muttered under his breath.

Fingers of the Force moved at a motion from a hand, and he pried the hood from the speeder's crumpled chassis. At the whim of the other, a clump of dirt was lifted out of the soft earth and dumped onto the fire, smothering it before it could catch and set the forest ablaze.

"Don't see anyone around here. Don't feel anyone close. Wonder who got the damn thing out here."

Perhaps it wasn't something to concern themselves with. Nieraan shrugged and glanced at Jack.

[berserker]

((Sorry for not posting earlier, was not aware this was up. XD Imagine Stór having an African accent, maybe Nigerian or maybe like Gabriel Tosh from SC2, whichever seems cooler. Stór is Kron Shachi’s Sith name btw.))

It has been a while since Stór tasted good meat. The warmth of the steaks he ate was still floating about inside him as the pieces of meat tumbled happily in his vast stomach. This gave him a feeling of great satisfaction, a feeling that was beyond his reach since he visited the backwater of a planet.

The information about the people he was looking for were not only sorely lacking, they were also aimed to have him killed. Who would’ve thought that his contact was stupid enough to have chosen credits over him? Over living? Stór walked into the abandoned warehouse on the edge of Salik only to find it filled with armed mercs. Not one of them looked vaguely like the Twi’lek he wanted to kill. Merely little insects playing with guns were there.

Stór left the warehouse’s walls painted in blood and pieces of the mercenaries that were hired to dispose of him. Killing was no longer as much fun as it used to. It seemed like a tedious chore to him now, probably because he hasn’t taken down anything even close to his own strength. Still, the maggots managed to ruin his robes, a couple of carbon-scored holes, made by plasma that barely missed his body, and a few blood stains at the hems of his sleeves. If he hadn’t found that barbeque diner that served Gornt and Bantha in large quantities, Stór would have been verily pissed.

As he walked down the avenue sparsely populated by people barely reaching his waist, he happily licked his fingers, which were still crusted by the mercenary’s coagulated blood. That’s when he felt something odd, like the air that surrounded him suddenly shifted. Stór followed his senses, knowing that this strange sensation was something he felt only when he was surrounded by powerful Force-users. He eagerly moved to look for the source, hoping to find a worthy adversary.

As he ran to follow the trail left to him by the Force, an explosion on the edge of the city caught his attention. He stopped briefly, staring into the horizon; a flock of birds flew away from what seemed to be the epicentre of the blast. After a few seconds, Stór moved on, his curiosity was barely even piqued.

“Must be some idiot trying to play daredevil.” Stór mused as he turned the corner. That’s when he saw three seemingly ordinary people as they ran towards the source of the explosion, living behind a fourth unconscious man on the ground. He felt the Force shift towards the ones running and followed them from a safe distance, hoping to see who they were and why they were in such a remote place, all the while ignoring the one still lying on the ground.

As the three disappeared into the trees, Stór stayed behind. If they were indeed powerful Force-users and if things do get ugly, he would be at a disadvantage if he was to pick a fight with all of them within the confined spaces of the forest. He decided to wait it out, see what happens. Stór leisurely walked back towards the seemingly lifeless body of their companion.

“Maybe I could use this one to my advantage.” He said to himself as he stood right next to the prone figure, a yellow-toothed smile crept across his heavily scarred face.