So much for a simple assignment... [Archive]

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Asha Vendax

Apr 1st, 2012, 07:32:50 PM

The next time you want to volunteer for a solo undercover assignment, do me a favor. Don't.

Ohh, not to worry...I won't.

Them giving you one on purpose is another matter entirely.

Obviously. I swear...they look at the mission, deem it impossible, and say 'hey, let's send the shifter - she'll do it'.

How about we concentrate on staying alive.

I wish I could..something's not right. Hell, I'm talking to you, aren't I. And you've been dead for nearly sixty years, Ben.

"Ben?"

A thin voice, strained and limited to a mere whisper, spoke the name aloud, as if expecting the figment of her imagination to reply. Eyes that rippled between differing shades of yellow cast around the immediate area, darting between the sparse trees that provided little cover. She was reasonably certain she was still on Corellia, but now found herself stranded in the foothills. A glance down proved that she'd been beaten, blood dried onto the torn cloth of her tunic.

But she couldn't remember it.

There was only the bar...a hazy, smoke-filled joint. A keybed player under a spotlight in the far corner. A short, fitted shimmersilk dress adorning her curves. There was her mark, resplendant in a suit...and the drinks flowed. Asha tried to force herself to think...to remember if anything had tasted strange. But each time she tried concentrating, her head began pounding with excruciating pain.

She ached from head to toe and her tongue felt much like she'd been swallowing sand from the beach. The beach...had he taken her to the beach?

The snap of a dry twig sounded, leaving her to panic and pull herself into the first form she could think of, a Corellian Sand Panther. Even in that form, her every joint ached, but it afforded her more speed and mobility than her usual human form did. A splash of blue was wound about her neck, the woven band meant to identify her to her extraction team. It would be present in any shape that she took.

Asha loped off through the trees, her gait awkward and uncertain at first, as she heard footsteps approaching. Her cover had obviously been blown, and she was compromised from whatever it was they'd dosed her with. So she ran.

Zereth Lancer

Apr 2nd, 2012, 12:17:50 PM

There it was again. A sound up ahead. His red eyes peeked out from behind a tree, peering over bushes and boulders as they searched for the source of the noise. It sounded like a person or large animal rummaging around in the brush. A sidestepped maneuvered his body around for a better look. Boot caught twig and the loudest snap imaginable alerted the entire planet of his position. There, motion, but it was gone. Bounding off through the forested hills. Curiosity caught him in it's trap. He gave chase.

Zereth had spent months on Corellia now. Slowly rebuilding the loyalties the Sith Order had once commanded. Bit by bit, he regained control of the many people who had once swore allegiance to them. Either through aid or fear, they all came crawling back eventually. It was hard work to convince them that the Sith Order consisted of more than just himself and his new apprentice. It took all the power he possessed to manage the fledgling shadow empire. All the pressure and work was driving him mad. His apprentice had convinced him to take a vacation. Just a few days out in the wild foothills outside of Coronet City. It had been some time since he had fended for himself but he had taken to it like a Selonian to water.

He had been walking through the hills. Just enjoying himself. Alone with nature. He heard a noise and investigated, and now he was running through the woods chasing whatever it was that was fleeing him. Every now and again he caught sight of it. An animal. It most resembled a Sand Panther, but the coloring was strange. He would have to get closer to know for sure. He had no plans for when he caught the animal, but rather was using it as an excuse to stretch his legs. With the force as his guide, he kept up with the animal. His tall, lithe body tearing through the woods as limbs and bushes whipped and tore at his black clothing. His red cloak trailed behind him in the air, suspended by his speed. His dark red, mottled eyes following the quick movements of the Sand Panther-like creature as he gave chase.

It felt good. Made him feel alive. He had spent months relying on the strengths of his mind that he had neglected his physical prowess for so long. It was amazing to finally get to use it again. The tight confines of Coronet was no place for him. He was a man of action, and all the back alley negotiations had strained him to the breaking point. Threats of violence only got him so far in this galaxy. However, those who scorned him often were found horrible tortured or diced into pieces.

But that was another world right now. It was just the hunter and the hunted now.

Evest Neel

Apr 2nd, 2012, 05:41:27 PM

“Check-in passed six hours ago and we still haven’t heard from Agent Vendax. Chances are, Agent, that she could very well be…”

It was most appalling that they had so little faith in her, so proven as she was. It evoked a thread of anger that was well within his ability to control.

“No. Not Vendax. There is no way she has lived this long to slip up and get herself killed. She’s too good. Something else has happened.”

One hand rubbed, tiresome, at the side of his face and after, the fingers came to rest, half-together, half-splayed over red eyes, before pulling together and rubbing them, too.

"What is it you propose to do, Mister Neel? The ball, as they say, is in your court."

Fingers pinched at a blue nose and fell away. He looked on the transmitted visage of his superior, frankness lighting across his own features. The Chiss caught his own face in a dim reflection on the lenses of goggles. What he noted there was beyond the classic five-o’clock shadow and it was ill-suited, in his own limited opinion. Breathe in, breathe out.

“I plan to locate and retrieve Agent Vendax. Myself. If you do not object.”

“Are you certain that’s… wise, Agent? There is no knowlege of what transpired.”

“I am certain, sir, that anything more would be unnecessary and an utter waste of resources.” His black eyebrows tilted upwards. “I trust my observation is not in error?”

The transmitted visage furled with tired worry before melting into helpless surrender to the circumstances. No one liked losing men... or women.

“Alright, Mister Neel. But you damn well call it in if it starts raining heavy shit.” The grainy face gruffed. “Losing one agent would be one thing. Two would be two too many and quite frankly you don't have the calvary at your beck and call.”

Neel’s brows lowered and his mouth set in a thin line.

“Yes, sir. Neel out.”

With the transmission cut, the contingency plan began to replay in his mind as he chased back into the main area with the small contingent that was the extraction team and piped up to command attention over the dull roar of jokery and conversation. When the melee of vocalisations died out, the Chiss spoke.

“Alright, here’s the deal….”

Asha Vendax

Apr 5th, 2012, 10:56:04 PM

Walking on four feet was substantially more difficult when your mental faculties were compromised.

-keep running-

The form and feel were familiar, the shape one that she had used countless times over the last almost two hundred years.

-tree ahead-

But even as she ran, she had trouble clinging to the beast. Paws were beginning to warp into malformed human hands, joints were snapping and bending in the wrong direction as if she were taking her transformation in singular, excruciating steps. The individual discs of her spine bulged as if she were curled into a ball and squeezed.

-is that...one or two trees-

Whatever it was that she'd been dosed with, they knew exactly what she was and what to administer. It should have been a sobering thought, but Asha was too busy trying to hold on to her last vestiges of sanity while her body betrayed her.

-oh, just one-

One it may have been, but she crashed headlong into it. It had been a sapling to her skewed and failing vision, but was, in reality, a stout tree with a very solid trunk. She fell in a vaguely feline-shaped heap, misshapen chest laboring with every breath. The footsteps echoed again...or if those weren't footsteps, her mind slowly convinced her they were. She dragged herself to her feet and slowly made her way around the tree, losing her balance and tumbling down what turned out to be a very steep hill.

-oh look...water-

Zereth Lancer

Apr 6th, 2012, 11:27:51 AM

The chase was long and difficult. Large body could not follow streamlined form so easily. All he knew was the whip of tree limbs and the rustle of bushes. He had lost sight of the creature for some time, but the force allowed him to follow the living essence of the creature. Whenever he could see the ground the animal tracks would reassure him that he was still going in the right direction. With his body leaning forward his feet barely touched the ground, making him look like he was flying along just above the surface of the planet.

From ahead came a crash and Zereth exploded from the brush heading straight for a tree. He stopped running and planted his boots in the ground, using the force to aid in his decelerated as his feet dug into the earth. He still collided with the tree, but without dangerous force. Following the sound, he looked around the tree and down a steep decline at the monstrosity that was tumbling end over end down the hill to the water below. The thing looked like some kind of half-human half-animal hybrid. The very sight was unsettling and reminded him of the twisted abominations his creator had made. But even Zanon wouldn't make such an awkward looking creature. How it had managed to outrun him he would never know.

Maybe this was a machination of Zanon. He had to find out now.

Whipping off his cloak he hung it up a limb of the tree and then ran after the creature. Rather than tumble down the embankment he instead opted to jump down, clearing the decline and landing at the edge of the water just as the creature disappeared below the surface. There was only a split second of hesitation before Zereth pulled his lightsabre free from his belt and laid it on the shore propped on a rock before diving in after the creature. He was wary that it might attack him, but it looked fairly lifeless as it rolled into the water. Grabbing it by who knows what limb, he pulled the creature from the water and back on to the shore. There was not much of it and what there was is steep. His lightsabre was recalled, flying through the air to slap into his wet hand which he kept up and out of the water, using his other hand to attempt to keep the creature's head above water as his legs moved from side the short in the waist high water. Eventually the shore leveled off and Zereth pulled both of them out of the water and on to the dryish land.

Now came the delicate job of wringing out his long, black hair. Using both hands he tried to get some of the water out of it that was threatening to drown him all over again while looking over the thing he had pulled out of the water. It looked even less animal that before, seeming to slowly change into a person. A woman, if he was any expert of physiology. It was still unconscious. Pulling his hair back, Zereth employed a hair band he kept around his wrist to put his hair back in a pony tail and then he turned around and ran.

With the force to speed his movement he quickly returned to the tree where he left his cloak, grabbed it, and sped back to the beach he left the increasingly female thing at. The quick movement had helped to peel some of the water off but he was still feeling pretty soaked. Hiding his lightsabre in his pocket, and hoping the moisture didn't ruin it, he squatted over his prey and unceremoniously poked it with a finger.

Asha Vendax

Apr 17th, 2012, 12:54:51 AM

Sunlight streamed in through the open window, highlighting the pile of bedding that had been haphazardly gathered together in the center of the room. In the midst of it, entwined together, were a man and a woman.

His silken tanned skin was the perfect counterpoint to the pale cream of hers. While she slept against his shoulder, his fingertips traced an absent pattern on the hand she had upon his chest, the platinum band glinting in the light.

“Love, you need to wake up now…” Ben rumbled softly, kissing her forehead as she slowly opened one bright yellow eye.

“Don’t want to…comfy here…with you.” Asha murmured, kissing the side of his neck and allowing her open eye to fall closed.

“No love…this isn’t real…you need to wake up…”

“Just let me stay…I don’t want to wake up again…”

“It’s not your time, Asha. Please wake up…you’re in dan-“

By the time her eyes struggled open, Asha’s body had regained its usual human form. Voluptuous curves under a ragged and torn silver mini-dress, with scratches and bruises visible across the expanse of her skin. A sizable welt appeared across the top of her forehead, just barely hidden by her chestnut locks.

A faint sound that could have been a name or a wordless moan passed her lips, while bright yellow eyes tried to focus on the face floating over her. The slight movements made her vision swim dangerously, forcing her to close her eyes even as she raised a hand to swat at the finger poking her tender, bruised side.

“Wh-where am I?” Asha managed to ask, her voice sluggish still from the effects of the drug. Her eyes opened once more, very, very slowly, and managed to focus on his face after some effort.

Evest Neel

Apr 17th, 2012, 07:57:36 PM

The deduction was that wherever she was now, it wasn’t where she would have been if things had gone as planned - which they had not. That much he could be certain of. If they couldn’t reach her, she would have gotten the heck out of dodge in whichever direction was the most expedient. That was her way. This was far from the first time that Neel had the pleasure (it could be called that on occasion) of working with, around, or in the vicinity of Agent Vendax and he felt with a certain degree of conviction that this would not be the last.

That was his determination as he made his way through the wooded lands in proximity of the city, taking care not to alert with missteps that would signal his presence to any being that might be nearby and might take exception to his being about. He scanned the underbrush, the trees with his eyes, seeing nothing of note, nothing for a good deal of time. He would continue to look…

Wait.

Something glinted faintly in the sun that streamed through the canopy of the trees and his eyes narrowed, shifting this way and that for any signs of other large life forms outside of himself before focusing again on the direction the glint had signaled itself from, continuing to move leftwards toward it, one hand in caution back at his sidearm as his attention was now divided. The chiss agent arrived at a large, prickly looking bush where the glinting fabric was caught and recognition immediately registered in his brain.

Vendax was here.

Gingerly, he pulled the swatch of fabric from the bush, pulling it taut between fingers and examining it, his eyes straying shortly after to light on the disturbed earth that was evidently not caused by indigenous life. While on one hand paw prints existed that hinted at a local creature (Corellian Sand Panther, to be exact, the skilled tracker in him surmised), there was far more scuffle besides that was indicative not of sand-panthers, but of a rushing, faltering escape followed up by something of a chase. Such markings in the underbrush and along a nearby tree told the story of ‘what’ and ‘where to’ well enough. As for the fabric, he was dead certain of where it came, the memory of being a largely unwilling escort for that particular shopping venture coming to mind. He just as soon had quashed the memory and softly put two fingers to the bud in his ear, then thumbed the comm clipped up near the shoulder of his vest.

“Neel to Pullout.” He hushed. His eyes wandered to the scrambled-out trail ahead of him, now clear as ever. “I have acquired trail and am now tracking. Follow my signal and be prepared for retrieval when I indicate acquisition of our target as discussed.”

Confirmation from the extraction team came and he clicked out, moving forward once again at a more expedient speed, seeking whatever he might find when the rough, telling trail came to an end. The concealing chameleonpaint on his face made him grimace for the fifth time since application(as it always did), but blending blue into trees did not come naturally unless you happened to be in the canopy for some odd reason.

Zereth Lancer

Apr 19th, 2012, 10:52:59 PM

The human-animal hybrid finally chose a form and reverted into something resembling a regular human. Zereth could not explain it. He had never experienced such a thing before. Now that the danger of drowning was removed he felt he should be leaving now but his curiosity prompted him to stay. A tenant of his order was that of emotion and passion. His compassion, a rare trait among the Sith, was a hard thing to overcome. Every instance of training he had ever received conflicted with each other. The Jurayai had taught him honor, Drexel Kane taught him cruelty, and the Sith Order; emotion. Looking down at this woman he could not help but think of Ashe, the woman he had loved. The woman he had abandoned. Twice. He left her behind, on a hospital bed. Beaten up and unconscious. The resemblance was uncanny. Guilt stayed his legs, leaving him bent over the woman like somehow he could redeem himself for what he had done to Ashe.

But there was no redemption for his kind.

"You are outside Coronet." the words came slowly, as if explaining to a child. Zereth was no doctor and could not gauge the severity of her injury. He would imagine her head must feel quite scrambled after a hit like that. One does not simply run headfirst into a tree. She did not look to be in terrible shape. He had already examined her externally and all he found was a rather shapely and attractive woman. Her head could probably use ice to help with the swelling but immediate medical attention might be unnecessary.

Or it could be a serious head injury and she could be a gallon of warm bantha milk ready to expire at any moment.

"Do not move too quickly. You look like you hit your head very hard. I pulled you out of the river. You are lucky to be alive." Zereth continued, playing off the whole shapeshifting thing like he had not seen a thing, like he had pulled a full human out of the water and that he had not been the one chasing her through the woods. If he played his cards right he might come out of this looking like a good Samaritan who fancies dark and brooding colors and has weird taste in wardrobe.

Asha Vendax

Apr 20th, 2012, 01:10:13 AM

"Oh...alright."

Well. That certainly wasn't the most eloquent thing she'd ever said. But at least, she mused, it didn't sound quite as slurred as her first few words. Her head swam as she tilted it up, forcing her to drop it back with a wince and a muffled but still audible curse.

"Fuck me..."

Bright yellow eyes opened again, slowly this time, heeding his advice. Asha let her vision resolve itself before she even entertained the thought of sitting up. Once she could see him clearly, she offered a small smile.

Not bad for a savior.

Asha shivered slightly, sitting up as slowly as she could while keeping her rebelling body in check. Fingers kept the tattered remains of her dress in place as best they could, but given the extent of the damage, it was a losing battle to keep her curves covered.

"Thank you..." she began, but her voice trailed off as she shivered again. "...how far from Coronet...would you say we are? I..."

Asha blinked, pain registering across her features as she closed her eyes tightly against it.

Xel-Naga

Apr 20th, 2012, 01:37:54 AM

Delete please.

Zereth Lancer

Apr 20th, 2012, 01:39:09 AM

"Several miles. A two hour walk." Was the best assessment he could give. They were pretty far into the wild and Zereth had not exactly measured the distance he had walked. He journeyed into the wild to lose himself for a few days. He could return just fine, using the force to locate the mass of life that was Coronet. For someone like himself, and in this rare case a person who can turn into a Sand Panther, getting back to town would probably not take much time at all.

To say that he did not let his eyes rove over the more exposed parts of her body would be a lie. When he caught himself looking he would pull his eyes away and look to the side or at her face. However, looking at her body did allow him to witness her full body shiver. Wet, mostly naked, and outdoors. Why had he not considered it? Turning he look toward where his cloak was hanging. He had gone through so much to keep it from getting wet. Dammit.

Walking over he pulled the cloak off the limb and walked the short distance back to the woman. The thick red fabric was laid over her body from foot to chin and then tucked in around her body. Sitting back on his haunches, Zereth talked quietly; "How do you feel?"

Asha Vendax

Apr 20th, 2012, 02:58:15 AM

"Miles...shit. What did I look like...when you pulled me..out of the water?"

She almost didn't want an answer to that, but if she'd come several miles out of Coronet City and now couldn't remember any of it, there was a bit of a problem. Had she missed her check in yet? Was Evest and the rest of the extraction team out looking for her?

Or had she been gone long enough that they'd given up on her?

Gods above, she'd fucked up spectacularly. Couldn't remember a thing, likely outed herself as a non-human to a complete stranger, and the heavens only knew what she'd said to whoever had done this to her.

Asha sighed softly as he tucked the thick cloak around her, huddling beneath it and smiling at the care he took to ensure she was completely covered. Not that she hadn't caught a glance or two, that surprisingly, she didn't mind in her state. Bright yellow eyes were cast up to meet his gaze, a faint knot forming between her delicate brows.

"Like I've spent a week as a bouncy ball in the rancor exhibit at the zoo, frankly." she replied, freeing one hand from the lush warmth to tuck a dripping curl behind her ear. Asha masked the swift stab of pain her fingers created as they rubbed against a ragged wound. They'd gone digging to extract her subcu comm, which meant she was completely untraceable.

Fuck. That boded even worse for the missing hours - or was it days - in her memory.

Blinking, she realized she'd been staring at him, and not saying anything for several long moments. Asha did something then that she hadn't done in nearly a hundred years. She blushed - warmth flushing her cheeks as she dropped her gaze, fingers slowly pushing the cloak back up over her bare shoulder.

Zereth Lancer

Apr 20th, 2012, 01:55:03 PM

That was a sound analogy, but not quite one that he had ever heard before. Perhaps the blow to her head was worse than first suspected. She was stable, for the most part, and alive. He should just leave her here and move on. That was his way, after all. She would not last an hour, and he knew it. Sometimes Sand Panthers wandered this close to the city, and even if she disguised herself as one, they might not pass the opportunity for a free meal. He felt obligated to return her to the safety of the city.

"Are you capable of moving? You need to get to a hospital."

No, he was no expert, but it would be a much easier place to dump her and be done with her. This was going to cut short his vacation and he wanted to get it over and done with so he could resume his campaign to seize control of Coronet. Too many people to turn into puppets, and so little time.

Asha Vendax

May 23rd, 2012, 05:57:14 PM

"I'm not entirely sure going to a hospital is such a good idea."

Gods only know who's looking for me there...whoever did this knew exactly what they were doing. Like they were waiting for me to walk into that...that...Asha gazed ahead, past Zereth's shoulder, eyes absently phasing from one color to the next as she lost herself in thought.

Tried to lose herself in thought, really, since no matter how hard she strove in those few moments, nothing came to her. Except for a raging headache that sent her eyes to a flat, lifeless shade of grey. She gently shook her head, tightly pinching the bridge of her nose when it proved enough to make her vision waver around the edges.

"But I can move. I have...an...apartment. In Coronet. If I can just get there, I'll be alright." Asha murmured, very carefully unwinding the warm cloak from around herself and getting to her feet very, very slowly. Each movement etched pain into her features, but she didn't utter a sound. She huddled back into the cloak and pulled it closed around her, wincing as she flicked her still sodden hair back over her shoulder.

Grey eyes cast up the steep hill and then around in a slow circle, trying to somehow divine where precisely they were. There was evidence along the steepest portion and up into the tree line, that something had crashed through and fallen down it in an uncontrolled heap. Asha took a few tentative, bare-footed steps, and looked at least a little bit pleased that she hadn't fallen over yet.

Glancing to where he stood, she spoke quietly, "Is there...an easier way up than where it looks like I came down?"

Zereth Lancer

May 24th, 2012, 08:19:18 PM

Mottled red eyes glanced around. The rough terrain had bothered him so little that he had hardly noticed it at all. With the force as his ally he had easily jumped the incline without losing any time. Turning back to the woman, he looked her over a moment. She was standing, but she did not look like the sturdiest thing ever and he greatly doubted that she could make it out of the pit they found themselves in.

"I can carry you out." He assured her as he stepped close and offered her a gloved hand.

Asha Vendax

May 24th, 2012, 10:21:11 PM

"You're sure?"

Asha blinked up at him, barely resisting the urge to shift herself taller so she could look him properly in the eyes. Mottled red eyes, at that, that glittered in the fading afternoon light. Huh.

Without really thinking about it anymore, she placed her hand in his and managed to only utter a surprised squeak as he swept her up into his arms. She was a bit heavier than she looked, owing partly to her shape-shifting nature and partly to her practice of carrying more mass than her body naturally had.

At least, she mused, her shivering eased with the added warmth. As he moved, however, she closed her eyes against the sudden off-balance sensation that skewed her vision.

Zereth Lancer

May 24th, 2012, 10:46:39 PM

Pulling her closer, he looped his arm under her buttocks and lifted her up against his body. Like holding a baby. His body was just tall enough for her to hold on to his head to stabilize herself. This seemed the best way to carry her, and as he set off he imagined this should have been a harder feat. His genetically enhanced strength was hardly matched against her body weight. Although, he had to admit she felt heavier than she looked. Maybe a high protein diet?

He made use of tree roots and stones as he climbed up the embankment. It was very steep, and the total weight of his dense muscular structure and holding her body caused him to sink. The more he struggled to get out the heavier she got until his arm started to burn with the effort. Finally, he pulled himself to the edge and together they climbed out of the pit and back into the rest of the forest.

Setting her down for the moment, he rusted off his pant legs which were now dusted in dirt from the climb. His boots would have to be cleaned later. No sense is worrying about them now. Black was just so not of style when it was dirty.

"Come. Coronet is this way." He said, and started to walk in the direction of the city. He glanced back to make sure she could walk. If not, he could carry her again.

Asha Vendax

May 25th, 2012, 12:45:16 AM

She could really get used to being carried around. Although, if it meant being beaten to a pulp and not remembering anything, then, she could live without it.

Asha huddled in the cloak and kept it drawn tightly around herself as she found her footing. Grey eyes stared intently at the ground as she tried a tentative step, and then another, slowly picking her way towards where he'd paused. Blinking as she looked up at him, his words rattled around in her head before they sunk in and she managed a nod.

Her vision still slightly off around the edges, at least she felt a little more balanced internally as she walked. Asha concentrated, catching up to him in short order as he led the way, simply placing one foot in front of the other.

Who knew just walking could be so damn hard at her age?

Zereth Lancer

May 25th, 2012, 11:28:44 AM

The pair continued through the woods. The pace was slow, and it would take some time to reach the city, but Zereth considered himself a man of near infinite patience. It gave him time to focus on other things, like how dismal the future of his operation in Coronet was. He also wondered he was doing this. He very well could have left her in the forest to die broken and alone. It was hard. He felt so guilty over how he had left Ashe back on Ord Mantell that he could not leave another woman behind. He would take her to Coronet and once she was safe he would face away like he always did.

As they progressed, Zereth helped her at times, offering her a hand or helping her down some of the rough terrain. It had been silent going but he finally broke it. "May I ask how you managed to find yourself way out here? Not many tread this far out. Panthers sometimes come this close to the city."

Asha Vendax

May 25th, 2012, 05:23:10 PM

She was still holding his hand when she stumbled, bare feet slipping on the loose rocks. He tugged her upright and she managed a sheepish look. "Thanks...apparently my grace knows no bounds today." Asha murmured with a fair amount of sarcasm in her tone.

A glance up at the sky told her they'd been on the move for the better part of an hour given how much light had faded. As he let go, she continued and actually answered the question he'd posed. Sort of.

"Honestly? I...don't know. The last thing I remember is walking into a club on the Row. Then...I think there was running. And...then you. Standing over me down at the water's edge." Asha shrugged, and kept her eyes down on the ground in an effort not to slip again. She'd already tried to shift and give her feet a little more traction, but even that tiny effort sent a stab of pain across her senses.

She was walking back to the city in human form, whether she liked it or not.

Zereth Lancer

May 25th, 2012, 06:36:14 PM

This was a story that he had heard many times before on the holonet, but usually with far grizzlier endings. It would seem that she got off far easier than other victims of the night. Perhaps her assailants had underestimated her abilities. Being some kind of shapeshifted had obviously given her an edge at surviving the ordeal, and he would imagine that if he had not chased her through the woods that she would have been fine.

It was an incredible coincidence that she had been dumped in the woods at the same time that he was out here camping by himself. Some might say it was the will of the force, but Zereth didn't believe in the concept of fate or destiny. He forged his own path through life. This was just coincidence. Nothing more.

They walked most of the way in silence. The trek was difficult enough for her that he did not bother her with conversation. It was not until it was not until evening was upon them and the sun was setting that he finally spoke again. "Where in Coronet do you live?"

The city was close.

Asha Vendax

May 25th, 2012, 07:25:56 PM

She could see the city, watching it grow closer and closer with every step. Half her time was spent with her eyes on the path in front of them, the other half she spent watching him. They way he moved spoke volumes, and the shape that bulged in his pocket...well. There were a dozen jokes lingering on the tip of her tongue, but she managed to hold them back.

Barely.

Asha took a few quicker steps to catch up to him, tilting her head to look up. The corner of her mouth quirked up in a smile she just couldn't control no matter how hard she tried. So much for age giving one self control. She blamed whatever she'd been dosed with.

"Across the street from the Museum of Fine Art..." her voice trailed off as she stopped, freeing one hand to touch his arm. She stared straight ahead, trying to focus and swearing under her breath as her abilities only half worked.

Zereth Lancer

May 26th, 2012, 01:22:11 PM

Helping her out of the forest, they finally hit the main road that lead to Coronet. The going was much easier now. This road connected Coronet to it's sister city and was well maintained as it was meant for speeder travel between the cities. It still took them the better part of an hour to reach the city, and by then the sun was almost gone and the world was draped in darkness.

As they approached the city gates the security detail on guard stepped out from their booth to greet the walkers. Standard procedure for this time of night. In and out all day during the sunlight, but CorSec got a little suspicious if your limping into the city at dusk. Once the pair entered the light of the gate the trio of guards stopped in their tracks, eyes stuck on the woman under his arm.

"Friends of yours?" He asked, as they started to advance on them. Hands fumbling for weapons.

Asha Vendax

May 27th, 2012, 05:37:04 PM

"No..."

Asha half-growled, letting the cloak fall from around her shoulders. Unfortunately, it crumpled to the ground behind her, but she wasn't in a state to be thinking about the garment anymore.

"...I...can't remember...much. But their faces. So familiar...so..."

She shook her head as her eyes glazed over, flashes of her missing memories flaring painfully behind her eyes. Her fingers tightened on Zereth's arm as she struggled to catch the breath that had suddenly fled from her form.

Crude restraints...holding her down...no, up...against a dank, damp wall...flickering overhead lights...so dim. She couldn't see much. Voices...she could hear voices. Five of them clamoring with amusement. One of them rising above. Orders being passed. Her name...over and over...Rebel...pain. Waves of it. Faces flickering past eyes that were nearly swollen shut. Skin rippling as she kept trying to change but couldn't. One face, coming in close. Lingering. Pressed in close. A scar twisting his upper lip into a permanent snarl.

A scar.

Asha let go of Zereth and took a half-step forward, nearly shaking as rage swirled in her blood, rising slowly to engulf her. The guard in the center hit the pool of light first, surprise registering in his gaze. Her gaze flickered to a blazing acid yellow as it focused on the scar marring his lip. Her half-growl deepened as her skin rippled and her spine began to bulge horrendously beneath it.

She slanted a glance over her shoulder to Zereth and nodded, eyes tracing the length of him before catching his gaze. "If you can use the pretty lightstick I felt in your pocket, now would be a good time to whip it out."

By the time she turned back to the trio approaching them, she wasn't human any longer. Her body had rippled like so much molten flesh and muscle, almost exploding out and up until she resolved into the form of a rancor. Not precisely a full-sized one, but not smaller by enough to make a difference to the now wide-eyed CorSec guards.

A massive clawed hand reached out and snatched up the bastard in the middle, barely noticing as the bolts from his blaster seared bits of her tough hide. Asha squeezed until he gasped for breath and writhed in pure panic, the tip of one claw digging into his stomach until blood began to flow. She loosened her grip and began to lower her arm as if to put him down.

The moment she saw relief flickering in his gaze, she snapped her jaws and bit his head off. With as much revulsion as a rancor's features could muster, she soon spit it out, watching absently as it bounced and rolled its way to the guard station. She dropped the body as she abruptly snapped back into her human form, her control apparently not entirely back in full just yet.

Zereth Lancer

May 29th, 2012, 11:11:44 AM

There were a few things that Zereth noticed as the trio stepped into the light. First it was the clear lack of profession regard, the way their jackets were unzipped and caps askew, as well as how they held their weapons. Outward and presented, fingers on triggers. It was hard to believe these men had ever made it through the CorSec Academy. They looked like a bunch of thugs. Maybe that was why they were stuck doing guard duty in the middle of the night instead of enjoying a more promising position elsewhere.

The other thing he noticed was several security cameras positioned on the security kiosk as well as the gate and walls. Those could be a problem, especially with his new friend visibly troubled at seeing these men, and from their unpleasant faces he could only guess that there was bad blood between them. And then she started changing, and in a few moments she had transformed into a miniature rancor. Zereth had never seen one in person, but even though he knew they got bigger, this one was plenty scary all in itself.

Taking a step back he made room between him and the beast and then set to work protecting himself. His hands opening and closed as his sides, going from relaxed to crushing. Each repeated movement resulted in a camera lens cracking and shattering as the force broke the devices in their most vulnerable point. His attention returned to the fight, and the Rancor was a woman again and one of the guards was headless and the other two had drawn weapons.

Leaping into action, Zereth flew past Asha, knocking her over with a stiff push to her shoulder as blaster fire rip through the air between them. He did not dare use his lightsabre. Not for a moment. Even with the cameras down he only used the force to increase his speed, strengthening the muscles in his body until he was capable of moving faster than before. A lightsabre would leave evidence. Elegantly sliced bodies, burns from reflecting blaster bolts. The last thing he needed was an Inquisition manhunt.

Whirling away from Asha, Zereth ducked under another shot and finally cleared the distance, rising up and kicking the man in the side of the head and knocking him sideways into the path of the other gunman, using flesh as a shield. The CorSec agent could not be fast enough. It was impossible. Zereth easily moved around the falling body, came up alongside the man, and grabbed his gun wrist with one hand and his throat with the other. As the larger man, Zereth easily picked him up and squeezed, until he gasped for breath and the CDEF blaster fell from his hand. Then he dropped him, dicing his brain against the durocrete street.

With the same speed, Zereth blurred his way back to Asha's side, picking her up and helping her into a piggyback position on his back. "Hold on." And he was off, sprinting through the gate and into the street belong. The blaster fire would attract attention, so Zereth moved as fast as he could muster as he shot through the streets of Coronet. At the first opportunity he took to the roofs, using the force to aid him at jumping high on to a shorter roof and using increasingly taller buildings as stepping stones until he was high enough to easily move from rooftop to rooftop. The high dome of the museum of fine art came into view. He did not risk jumping the street, not with a passenger on his back. He was strong in the force, but he had limits. The museum would have security, and cameras, so he dropped down from the roofs early, this time using balconies and a dumpster to aid in his descent until he hit the street again.

Stealing across the street, Zereth made it into an alley. "Which building?"

Asha Vendax

Jun 1st, 2012, 09:01:50 PM

Well it wasn’t the pretty light display she was hoping for, but it would do. Her fingers curled into the soft folds of the cloak as she stayed down, brilliant acid-yellow eyes following his movements as best she could. He was fast…too fast, really, and damnably strong as she’d already discovered. Whether that was natural or part of his other abilities, she had no idea.

But it was fun to watch.

Asha had only just shrugged back into the cloak, shivering, when Zereth reappeared at her side. He helped her up, settled her on his back, and they were off. She’d have been delighted and maybe even laughed, had the circumstances been any different that sent them leaping amongst the rooftops through Coronet City. Instead, she closed her eyes and rested her head on the back of his neck. She was too dazed to enjoy it, as her equilibrium was completely unsettled from her ill-controlled shift.

He’d set her down and she hadn’t realized it, finding a building at her back to lean against. Fingers lifted to pinch the bridge of her nose for a moment, her eyes opening as he spoke. She blinked, and he repeated his question softly. Taking a few steps forward, she looked through they alley’s entrance to the sprawling museum grounds, and then up to the structures on either side.

“Two down on the left, it’s the gray stone building with blue glass doors.” Asha replied quietly, closing her eyes for a moment and concentrating. Dark locks smoothed and lightened into a waterfall of platinum, while her skin rippled and she grew a few inches in height. As that affected the already indecent length of her dress, she neatly tugged the cloak closed around her and pulled the hood up. Bright blue eyes peered up at Zereth before she took his arm and led the way.

“There’s a camera on the front door, two in the side alley, and one in the back. We can go in the front, which is the quickest way to the ‘lift, if you can do something about the camera.”

Zereth Lancer

Jun 3rd, 2012, 02:09:16 PM

Zereth carefully set her down from his shoulders. Flinching slightly when she crew a little taller, he looked away when she went to readjust the hang of his cloak. The hero never looks. Once she was properly situated again, he walked the two of them around the building, out into the street, and into the front door all the while adjusting his hair as he pulled several loose strands back into his ponytail. If he had known he was going to be doing all this running and fighting he would have put it in a braid. No time for that now.

The door came into view, as well as the fixed angle security camera pointing down at the doorway to record anyone coming and going. Zereth's hands flexed while he pulled his hair back, and the camera's fragile screen popped like the ones at the gate. These were simpler cameras, and even more fragile. It took much less effort to break them. Stealing into the building, a second camera came into view. This one watching the inside of the door. It met a similar fate. Although he was careful this time to not break it so savagely that it popped loudly like some of the ones before.

Pulling Asha close, Zereth made every effort to look like some kind of couple or friends or whatever. It was not a very natural look. Zereth was used to being the quite, solemn one standing apart but he did everything in his power to try and make the illusion stick. Force illusions would have fixed everything, but masking both himself and her at the same time would have been a stress he was not prepared for right this moment. Instead, they just walked through to the lift, nodding and smiling at the man cleaning the floors.

Stepping inside, he pressed the instructed floor button, and the lift took them away. Once in the elevator, Zereth fished his comm out of his pocket. It was a little wet from earlier but further investigation proved it still functioned. Punching a few keys, he felt the device in front of his face and spoke softly. "Johbin. Get the ship ready. We might have to leave town." and then hung up without a response. His apprentice would understand.

Asha Vendax

Jun 7th, 2012, 06:46:15 PM

The little ruse in the lobby set a smile on her lips, though whether it was from his close warmth or the way he tried just a bit too hard, she couldn't tell. It worked, regardless, with the maintenance man tipping his cap to her when she smiled over Zereth's shoulder. Mister Fellin would certainly remember the statuesque blonde, but not be able to remember her gentleman companion at all well.

Asha breathed a soft sigh after the 'lift doors closed and began to rise upwards. It was a twelve story building, and her apartment was on the tenth floor. Tilting her head, she watched Zereth fuss with the comlink and then speak softly into it. She winced at the possibility that she was endangering him and whatever he was doing on Corellia.

"You don't have to leave, but I definitely need to get off-world. Once we're upstairs, I'll grab just a few things and try to figure out what to do next." she murmured, freeing one hand to pinch the bridge of her nose. A message would have to be left, she mused...the apartment would be checked regularly and the missive found. Once she was off-world, she could send an encoded transmission through the back-channels that were in place for such a thing.

The 'lift chimed and the door soon slid open, giving her the opportunity to take a quick glance down the hallway. She smiled brightly at Zereth and murmured 'camera' under her breath before taking his hand. The long, softly lit hallway was empty, and her door, marked 10H in Aurebesh stood at the far end.

Zereth Lancer

Jun 7th, 2012, 07:28:20 PM

Zereth had no time to reply to her before the turbolift chimed and the door slid open. Catching her eye, he read her lips and looked down the hallway. There, another camera. It died like the rest. No time for subtly here as the device shattered from the force applied to it. Leading her once again Zereth brought her to the door of 10H and pushed it open. It had been locked, but these kinds of places were hardly equipped with state of the art security and the simple locks were easily bypassed with the force. He would have rather pulled a set of lockpicks out and done the work himself but he was pressed for time.

Once inside, he let go of her hand and closed the door behind them, leaning his large body against it as his mottled red eyes watched her prepare for departure. "I do not expect you to understand. I feel that I am to leave this planet. My time here is done." He said, trying to speak low enough to not he heard through the walls and loud enough for her to still hear him on the other side of the room.

Zereth hated the idea that the force was directing him, but he had to admit that he had been living a lie here on Corellia. Somehow he had convinced himself that if he rebuilt a structure for the Sith Order that he could rebirth it, or it's members would somehow come back. He realized now it was a foolish dream that he was clutching on to. The Sith Order was no more, and he needed to let it go. It was just him and Johbin now. The rule of two would have to suffice.

"But we need to go now before they shut down the sky."

Asha Vendax

Jun 9th, 2012, 09:03:00 PM

She paused, glancing at him over her shoulder as she reverted to her usual form with the door closed. Slipping out of his warm cloak, she draped it over a chair before nodding to him.

"I'm very much in your debt already, and I don't even know your name." Asha smiled ruefully, eyes flickering from bright blue to acid yellow, before settling on a deep chestnut that matched her...tousled locks.

"Let me just change and grab my bag. I'll only a few minutes." she continued, unzipping the back of the ruined dress as she walked into the bedroom and out of his line of sight. The shreds of it were tossed into her waiting bag, along with what little clothing was in the apartment's closet. More important was the secure comm now latched around her wrist, which soon disappeared under a ripple of her skin. A decorative bracelet was clasped over the same spot, before she finished getting hastily dressed (http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?id=50607556) and pulled her boots on.

Fingers ran through her chestnut locks and left them to hang over her shoulders, before she pulled her shoulder holster on and ensured her IR-5s weren't visible beneath her leather jacket. Asha strode out of the tiny bedroom, meeting Zereth's gaze as she moved to collect the incidental datapads and flimsis strewn across the small table around the single small holoframe. Tucking everything else into her bag, she tipped the holoframe face-down and left it behind with a look of distaste. Let him make of it what he would.

Evest and his team would know what it meant, and where to look next in expectation of a message.

"Ok...now, how do you suggest we get to the spaceport from here?" Asha said softly, partially zipping her jacket to keep her blasters concealed. Shaking out his cloak and smoothing out the soft warm fabric, she handed it back to him before picking up her bag.

Zereth Lancer

Jun 13th, 2012, 11:10:12 AM

"I have access to a private dock. There will be no guards or checkpoints to pass through." Zereth said, his red eyes tracking her as she moved across the room, prepping her bag and grabbing what she needed. She had a far different look with proper clothing on. She looked much less vulnerable. He had failed to get her to a hospital, but she seemed to be okay. That did not mean she was. She could be walking dead with a concussion that would catch up to her eventually and kill her. There was no way to get her that attention now. She had made enemies with CorSec and they had to get out before someone found those bodies at the gate and started a manhunt.

The private spaceport he spoke of belonged to city leader Reginal Gerard. The man had made a pact with dark forces to get the seat of power he commanded now as one of the leaders of Coronet's industrial sector. In return he had only to give the Sith Order the hangar. It was a thing he had taken away when they fell apart, but Zereth had renewed the agreement at blade point and Gerard was too weaselly a furball of a man to ever backstab a Sith again. Pity. Zereth had done so much to pull all the old allegiances back together only to abandon it all again. Corellia was lost. He had to accept that.

"If you like, you can ride on my back again. Time is of the essence." He continued as he took the cloak from her and wrap it back around his shoulders again. Such an archaic vestment, but one that had served him well in the past. It had been a symbol of his Order. An Order he had just abandoned. Perhaps it was time for to hang it up. Maybe. But for now it would serve as a guard against the cool of the night.

Asha Vendax

Aug 15th, 2012, 09:17:50 PM

"Alright then."

One last glance was cast across the apartment, while a faint sigh escaped. Months of work rendered worthless, seemingly in the blink of an eye. Asha could only hope Evest and his team could salvage some of the intel when they did their usual post-mortem.

Right now, however, that didn't matter. She needed to get off of Corellia and her savior was willing to help once more. Her free hand lifted to press against her forehead for a moment before she spoke again.

"I think we'll make better time if you carry me again. I'm not so sure I'm fully steady as of yet." Gazing up at Zereth as she approached, she lifted her bag to her shoulder and nodded. "Up to the roof or down to the street? Which would be best for you?"

Zereth Lancer

Aug 19th, 2012, 11:01:14 AM

His previous mission felt so unimportant now. His wheels had spun in the mud for months on end and now a real task had been presented to him. Like meat to the starving he was compelled to see it through to the end. It felt good, to move with the force and to fight with all the ferocity that had been beaten into him. It was an old friend; this feeling of invincibility. However, time was of the essence and he had not the time to savor the moment. Instead he reached out and slung his new ward over his shoulder once again.

The window opened itself as he approached it. It was small but he managed to manipulated his passenger out the window, letting her dangle on the end of his arm as he pulled himself through, his massive frame likewise hanging from the window edge. He pulled Ashe up with his free arm until she could wrap around his shoulders again and then he let go; pushing off the building and flying off into the night air again. The street was cleared and he landed on the edge of the building across it. Behind them the window fell shut with a wave of his hand.

And they were off again, leaping from rooftop to rooftop. The starport was not far, but by now the bodies had been found and the alarm raised. There was not a moment to spare. The starport had private docks for the more wealthy and famous, but Zereth's extortion of the city had gained him access to one of the private docks and while he was loathe to abandon all he had accomplished here there was not much else he could do. He had to admit that Corellia was lost and that he would never regain all the contacts and support the Sith Order had once boasted on this planet. Johbi would be relieved. He always wanted to see the galaxy.

His particular dock had a roof access and a wave of his hand opened the locked door, allowing him to carry himself and Asha down the circular stairwell into the heart of the building. It was just a large, empty rectangular room with his personal starship nestled within. The Star of Oblivion was a large transport, and falling apart by the look of it. It was dirty and looked in dire need of a mechanic's touch. And that was the truth. The ship had once been fueled and maintained by bribed Corellians and now sat rusting and decrepit in the wake of the fall of the Sith Order. Zereth had neither the coin or knowledge to keep it fueled and in repair.

At first glance he could tell that Johbi had been busy. The cargo ramp was down and most of the things they had littered around had been picked up and moved. Inside, he hoped. Dropping down from the catwalk that circled the bay, Zereth jogged for the cargo door; feeling a little winded now after all the running and jumping. Running up the ramp he nearly crashed into the dark haired young man. Johbi. His apprentice. The youth looked surprised to see Asha on Zereth's back. He confirmed everything was ready. The thrum of the warmed engines said as much.

"Let's go. Now." Zereth said over the growing hum and the trio set up the ramp; closing it behind them. The large cargo space was quickly navigated and they entered the living quarters of the XS-800 light freighter; which was cluttered with all manner of boxes and loose items. It was pretty clear that the pair had been living in the ship for some time now, but Zereth did not stop yet. He carried Asha all the way, past the bedroom doors and into the cockpit. Only now did he finally set her down, slinging her into one of the seats at the back of the space and motioning for her to strap in. Johbi came in right behind him as Zereth pulled himself into the pilot's chair and strapped himself in.

"Any direction in particular that we should be headed for?" Zereth asked as he toggled on the thrusters and hit the remote that was clipped to the console. Above them the bay doors began to open, slowly grinding open with all the poise and grace of doors that had probably never been opened or seen maintenance in years. "We're going to have to burn out of here quick and fast."

Evest Neel

Oct 10th, 2012, 12:49:05 AM

Somehow, just somehow he had missed her. It caused him to worry – just a bit – and worry was a trouble of its own if left unchecked. Vendax was not known to just vanish, seemingly, into thin air. Even in prior events when it appeared she had, she always left some form of notice… for him, at least. There had been times when the signal had been one only he would have comprehended, a sort-of secret language that somehow managed to fabricate itself over time between him and her. It had irked him the first time it occurred to him that she was doing this. It had irked him more when he started doing it too, without realizing it. It irked him that she got into his head like that.

And he had told her that one day one of them would not be able to be there for the other. And thus far, that statement had remained, in nature, a fallacy. But someday… and someone else would have to be able to interpret the signs and signals. He would pray to gods, if he had any, that she would make these distinctions when the time came.

But amongst the trees, there had been nothing of that sort. The swatch of fabric was merely there where he had found it, by circumstance. Nothing pointed him in the right direction. The trail seemed to stop, where the faint scent of not-just-Asha lingered.

Not just… wait. There was someone else here, then.

He re-examined the ground around the spot where he deduced that she had rested for a time. After a stitch of moments, it came to him. The steps were different, fainter somehow. And no matter the individual and his or her talents, they would still disturb the underbrush in some way. With this, the trail rose to his senses once again, turned tail and headed back to the city.

A light flickered on, inside his head. He flicked the comm for the second time since hitting this area of the surface.

“Neel to Pullout.” He paused, eying the rediscovered trail for its exact weave. “It appears our quarry has left this area and headed back into the city. I have reason to… I have reason to believe our target has acquired some company and returned to initial posting within the city. Rendezvous at that location. I will be there shortly.”

He cast his eyes to the canopy, peering through one of the spaces that let light through. Again, he thumbed the comm.

“And step lightly. There may be unfriendlies still in the area and evidence that could unintentionally disturbed or destroyed. Touch nothing. Neel out.”

Asha Vendax

Oct 10th, 2012, 11:24:36 PM

She had never felt so much like a sack of Kinyenian potatoes until the moment he tossed her into a seat and told her to strap in. With a shrug, she did as she was bid, proffering a smile to the young man who had met them at the ramp and followed them inside. Must be the Johbi he was talking to on his comm, she mused, glancing around at the cockpit.

"Kuat." Asha said quickly, after having mulled it over for a moment. She had a house there, small but comfortable, about an hour outside the capital, Kuat City. It was an identity she didn't use often, but it had served her well in the past, and if it came down to it, she didn't mind abandoning it should things go horribly awry.

That, and her identity there had access to a private dock within the main spaceport. She did feel obligated to repay them for not only saving her life but helping her to flee Corellia - and where better than Kuat to have their ship tended to as a means to that end?

Zereth Lancer

Oct 11th, 2012, 08:26:14 AM

The doors finally opened wide enough for the large transport to escape and Zereth started up the thrusters and the ship began to rise out of the docking bay. No sooner as they entered the night sky when a flurry of voices began pouring over the comm systems asking for clearance codes or demanding they stop and desist. Johbi was already sending the clearance codes, which were more than enough to clear the planet normally but while the public system was still in the dark the military was obviously the other voice in the system and they were demanding they return to the planet. The bodies must have been found.

Zereth pulled back on the yoke and the ship began to edge upward and then he grabbed the speed regulator and pushed it all the way forward. The sublight engines flared to life and shot the ship forward. There was no need for subtly anymore as they dove toward orbit. The sensors were pinging loudly and Zereth wiped the dust from the screen so he could see that fighters had been dispatched from the nearby airbase. There was no way in hell that they could outrun the fighters. They had only sent two. The normally unarmed transport did not look like it would put up much of a fight. That's where they would be wrong.

The Star of Oblivion continued to climb, leaving atmosphere behind as they broke free of the planet, but the fighters were right behind them. Voices off the comm threatened to shoot out their engines if they did not stop. Good. The fighters were coming up directly behind them so they could hit the engines. Zereth waited, Johbi poised with his finger hovering over a single key. They waited, until the ships were so close they were in their sublight trail and then he nodded and Johbi hit the button. The hidden backward facing missile launchers fired and what few missiles they had left flew backwards. The fighters had no chance. They never expected it. They peeled off but the resulting explosion sent their fighters off in opposite directions.

"Fighters are heavily damaged." Johbi confirmed from his station.

"Is our jump ready?"

"Going the round about way to shake them."

"Blow the base."

There was a reason they did not have many missiles left. That was because they had been set up in the hangar bay for just an occasion. Should they ever be rooted out or their benefactor change his mind, the hangar was rigged to explode. Nothing too heinous. Just enough to level the hangar and make a big show. Johbi accessed the remote signal and triggered the explosion. Zereth wished he could have seen it but Corellia was falling away behind them. Hopefully the explosion would distract them just enough.

Finally he hit the lightspeed and they flashed out of existence.

Letting out a held breath, Zereth breathed easier before turning his chair so he could face Asha as he ran his hands through his hair, pulling the hairband out and letting his dark hair fall across his shoulders. "How are you feeling?"

Asha Vendax

Jan 11th, 2013, 12:20:53 AM

Her breath left her in a whoosh, her brain gradually catching up with the fact that she'd been holding it in at all. After a moment of remembering how to breathe, and doing so deeply several times, Asha's slender fingers unfastened her crash webbing.

She shifted in her seat, briefly stretching her limbs before wincing as her body protested. In the relative safety of the ship and Zereth's company, a sigh escaped her lips as she sank back and let her eyes half-close. There would be time enough to try and force her mind to a proper path when they got closer to Kuat.

"How are you feeling?"

"Like a rancor played smashball with me....or have I used that phrase already?" Asha opened her eyes the rest of the way and offered Zereth a smile. "Better than before, honestly. Whatever it is...was...that I was dosed with has mostly worn off. But so has the adrenaline, so I'm feeling a bit off."

Zereth Lancer

Jan 11th, 2013, 12:37:14 PM

Lifting himself from his chair, Zereth ran a hand through his hair, pulling it back out of his face doing his best to tuck the thick strands behind his ears. There was just no holding back the flow of ebony. Taking Asha's hand, he helped her out of her seat he lead her out of the cockpit and into the hallway just beyond; past the thick airlock door and into the narrow corridor with it's rows of doors on each side. "The first two are mine and Johbi's." He explained, as they passed the first set of doors on either side. At the second set he opened one, the door sliding open less than gracefully. It was all creaking and grinding.

Each of the doors let into a small state room. This one in particular was empty except for the bed, which was mounted to the bulkhead. Everything else was covered in a thin layer of dust; very fine after being continiously cleaned by the oxygen recyclers. "Get some sleep. You'll feel better after you've recovered." With a hand that dwarfed hers, he helped her to the bed and then disappeared, walking across the hall to the opposite door, which he had to force open with his hands. The power for the door had broken a long time ago. The inside of the room was full of boxes and crates. Storage, for the most part. This was the slightly more valuable stuff he didn't trust to the actual cargo bay, which was a depressurized mess.

Rooting around he found a box with spare blankets in them. This ship had once been stocked to be a mobile base for the Sith Order in the case of an emergency or war campaign. Now it was just him and Johbi and neither was capable of mainaining the large starship. However, most of the supplies were still around. The common room was stocked with enough food supplies for Zereth and Johbi to eat for years, but nutrient paste and canned food made for a depressing lifestyle. Regardless, these blankets would do. He couldn't remember who they had belonged to. A hand brushed the soft fabric for a moment as painful nostalgia rolled over in waves. So many people. So many faces. All lost or dead.

With a sigh, he left the room, forcing it close behind him, and returned to Asha's room to offer her the blanket. "Sweet dreams..." the sentiment felt hallow. He was sure she would not sleep well. Not after what they had just been through. A weak smile spread across his face in a desperate act to comfort; but it ended up looking hollow and empty. Smiling was not a thing he had done in a long time. Although, he had to admit that jumping through the city, on the edge of danger, had been the most alive he had felt in a very long time.

Leaving the room with a wince as the door ground shut again, Zereth made his way to the cockpit. Johbi turned in his seat and looked him in the eye. "We have just enough fuel to make it to Kuat. We'll be stranded after that." Pinching the bridge of his nose, Zereth concentrated for a moment before looking up and out the front viewpoint. "We'll manage somehow. We always have. The force will provide. I'm going to take a nap. I'll relieve you in a few hours. Take care of our guest if she wakes up."

Asha Vendax

Jan 12th, 2013, 05:55:27 PM

Lips parted with a response that he never let her utter. They softly closed, taking the proffered blanket before he retreated a second time and left her alone. Nearly two hundred years old, she mused, and she still didn't understand men.

Asha set the blanket down atop her bag for a brief moment, setting about brushing the fine dust off away from the flat surfaces within the small cabin. Her movements were painfully slow, quite awkwardly disjointed and more pained than she'd let on while Zereth was looking. Mercifully, the small space didn't take long to set to proper order.

Her bag rested on a pull-out shelf, partially open with her jacket draped atop it. Asha kicked off her boots and pulled her hair up into a loose knot before sprawling out on the bunk. Fingers smoothed out the blanket he'd brought her, an absent half-smile ghosting across her lips.

Sleep rose up to claim her, dragging her down into a bleak, riotous oblivion.

Zereth Lancer

Jan 15th, 2013, 04:32:00 PM

Exhaustion drove him into a dark sleep; one that was was not restful. While his body was off his mind roamed, drifting through the dark corridors and empty rooms of his mind. A screeching from the pits of hell woke him, only to transform into the wail of his alarm. Rubbing his red eyes, he looked around the dark room. There was nothing there. Just boxes of things he'd never had a reason to unpack. Whatever precious little that had already been packed on the ship or had been reclaimed in his one trip back to Korriban.

Rising from his bed his feet met the cold floor like familiar friends. It wasn't until he tried to stand that he discovered the sharp pain. Sitting back down he rubbed his thighs and calves, trying to dispel the pain that had risen to claim them. The running and jumping through the city had taken more of a toll on his body than he had ever imagined, and a creeping fear of what it might have done to his soul followed. The darkside of the force was a powerful torrent, but it's waters were muddied; rotting the body and the mind. It was best used sparingly.

Another attempt, this time successful, propelled him on to his feet and out the door. He checked in on Johbi, who was asleep in his chair. A quick run over the control systems confirmed that the auto pilot was still engaged. Kuat wasn't too much further away. They could push the ship and get there in a heartbeat but he didn't want to risk the ship's failing systems. Patting his young apprentice on the shoulder Zereth moved to the community center of the ship. The common space had a collection of tables, benches, and a kitchen nook. The ship was designed to transport a large crew and extensive cargo. It felt so empty.

The cupboards were filled with cans of protein mush. It had everything you needed to survive except for fun. Grabbing a can Zereth moved to grab something to pry it open with and was, momentarily, tempted to just rip the lid off with the force. It was quite tempting. That run through the city had been a reminder of just how good it felt to control that power. In the end he used a tool to open the top, added warm water to the brown mush and with the aid of a spoon began eating it straight from the can.

It was like most of his days. Leaning against the cupboard, eating protein barf while wearing loose pants and a tank-top, and enjoying how very messy his long hair had become. Seriously, he needed a scrunchy or something to keep the long, pointed strands in order.

Asha Vendax

Jan 21st, 2013, 07:32:46 PM

The words to describe her dreams just didn't exist in any of the dozen languages she spoke. Fear and andrenaline poured through her blood, driving her senseless and leaving her gasping for air. She sat up abruptly, narrowly avoiding slamming her head into the top of the bunk which would have just added the cherry to the top of the sundae.

Heart pounding, Asha stood and laid a hand against the wall, legs trembling as she forced herself upright. It was as if she'd run the Coronet City marathon with a rancor on her back, her body ready to keep going and ready to collapse all at the same time. She hoped...no, prayed...that this was just the last side-effects of the drugs she'd been dosed with on Corellia.

Otherwise, her dreams had acquired a new level of hell she just wasn't equipped to deal with. She leaned up against the wall, head back and eyes focused on a ceiling panel. Breathing. In. And out.

Breathe in. Breathe out.

Slowly...painstakingly and excruciatingly slowly, Asha forced herself to breathe. Similar enough to the panic attacks she used to have as a child, the steady breathing and simple, focused gaze seemed to help. It took minutes...maybe a half an hour...before she could manage to lever herself away from the wall and towards the door. There was a mirror bolted to one side of it, which she'd draped a scarf over earlier.

Mirrors and shape-shifters with lifetimes of nightmares were never a good mix. Blinking, Asha could only stare at her reflection and eventually sigh. She looked like hell, but at least she looked like herself. Chestnut curls fell to her shoulders and dark brown eyes stared out of the soft features. Fingers brushed her hair back from her face before she stepped away went out the door.

Feet padded softly down the hallway, peering at the young man asleep in his chair at the controls. Leaving him in peace, she glanced at Zereth's door briefly before continuing onwards. Sounds emerged from the door to the galley, the source of which proved to be him. Asha tapped on the doorframe as she entered, not wishing to startle him. She leveraged herself up to sit on an empty stretch of counter, and tried to find her voice.

"Sleep well?" she asked, her voice emerging a bit softer than she'd intended. But at least it had worked, and hadn't left her staring at him silently.

Zereth Lancer

Jan 24th, 2013, 04:00:31 PM

Zereth didn't look up at first, instead continued to twirl the mud between his hands with his spoon. He was not one for social interaction, and having lived the last year with Johbi had not helped that problem. The two barely spoke. Both were men of action and they communicated far better physically than they ever could with a tongue. Now that the action had faded away he felt very out of place. Shy, even.

What could he say? There had been little or no thought put into what happened just hours ago. There had been no time to think. Only to react. What had began as a simple good will act toward another living being had been thrown into chaos and he had just taken what felt like the best path. He could feel the spirit of Drexel Kane looking down on him from beyond the grave. No doubt the crooked sith would have cut Asha down in a heart beat. And enjoyed doing it.

"I slept adequately." Zereth said, at last, keeping his voice down as to not wake Johbi just up the hall. "How is your head? You took a nasty hit." His concern was nearly lost in the shudder of the ship. The engines were acting up again. Nothing to be afraid of, but it did cause him to grab the edge of the counter just in case. The shudder stopped as quickly as it came. The ship really was falling apart around them. Regardless, he hardly felt that there should be any concern for his own rest when she was the one who had been the victim.

Asha Vendax

Feb 12th, 2013, 02:58:32 AM

"I...slept. Not exactly well, however." Asha replied softly, tilting her head to the side as fingers rose to press against a tender muscle in her neck. She sighed, the sound almost faint and lost amidst the clatter of the ship's shudder. It took a moment longer than it should have to pry her fingers from their position clutched around the edge of the counter.

A frown briefly marred her features but she let the concern filter away. There was nothing she could do about it until they arrived at Kuat and she had access to the things she had stocked there. She did however make a mental note to reevaluate what she took with her for missions. Perhaps a more extensive medkit was in order, especially given her alien physiology.

"My head is still giving me some trouble though...but I'm hopeful it'll pass soon. Doesn't hurt...but..." Asha blinked, her voice trailing off as her vision tried doing the hula around the edges. Both hands gripped the edge of the counter as she closed her eyes for several moments until she felt like she could open them again and not feel like she was about to fall onto the floor.

"...occasionally balance and orientation are a challenge."

Zereth Lancer

Mar 1st, 2013, 03:26:57 PM

There were so many questions, each hanging around in the air waiting to be expressed, but neither party was willing. As much as he would like to know just what she was, he knew it would cast an identical spotlight in his own direction; and those were questions he could not answer. From his spiky black hair and red eyes he was something of an enigma, and her with her shapeshifting biology was the thing of faerie tales and high fantasy.

Setting the can aside he crossed the room; his hands revealed and empty. From his taller prospective examining her head wound was as easy as shifting the hair out of the way with fingers strangely delicate for their size. All he saw was head, angry fresh and dried blood. "I apologize, but my medical experience is somewhat lacking." Although, he was fairly good at dressing his own injuries, but head trauma was a whole different galaxy. There was nothing he could do, not with the extremely meager supplies that were on hand.

"We'll arrive on Kuat within the hour. If you wish to clean up the refresher if over there." he said, indicating the door on the far side of the common space with a hook thumb over his shoulder. "I cannot promise you warm water but you should get that wound cleaned out as best that you can. Unfortunately I have nothing to offer you to eat that is not protein paste." Zereth noticed her lack of balance, and the white knuckle grip she held on the edge of the counter. Raising his hand to her shoulder he steadied her where she stood.

Asha Vendax

Mar 8th, 2013, 01:06:05 AM

His touch was surprisingly deft and gentle, something she was grateful for given the very tender state of the wound and the area around it. She sighed and dipped her head closing her eyes for the brief moments it took him to look at it. "There's nothing to apologize for. I should be able to tend to it with the supplies I have set aside in my home on Kuat."

Blinking, she looked up in time to see which door her was gesturing towards. He stood close still, and his hand rested on her shoulder, steadying her. Which she needed, considering that she still couldn't let go of the counter. Asha did manage after a few minutes, to pry her fingers away and stand up straight.

"Honestly, I think I'll pass on the protein paste. Appetizing as it must certainly be, I don't think I could keep it down just now. I will, however, avail myself of the 'fresher. I'll need to...change...before we arrive." she said softly, concentrating on the words and managing them well enough. Fingers withdrew a flimsi from her pocket and pressed it into his free hand.

"Speaking of Kuat...those are coordinates and codes for the hangar bay. Its in a smaller spaceport on the outskirts of the capital city. The staff is discreet and capable...you will allow me to at least arrange for some repairs to your ship as a means of repaying you for what you've done for me today."

Her fingers rose to rest in the center of his chest, lingering as she regained a touch more of her balance. She withdrew them upon realizing how long they had lingered, then stepped away and carefully made her way back to her borrowed bunk and then in turn to the 'fresher.

Any water above the frigid pond she'd fallen into would be welcome, as would be the feeling of being clean.

Zereth Lancer

Mar 8th, 2013, 04:28:16 PM

Taking the flimsy from her Zereth examined the coordinates. It meant nothing to him right now but just as soon as it got it plugged into the navigational computer they would know where it lead. At the promise of compensation for his troubles Zereth's unabashed rejection was just on the tip of his tongue but he just could not say the words. While he would prefer not to trouble anyone he had to admit that he was in dire need of repairs and supplies. This ship was too big for him and Johbi to take care of and it was slowly falling apart.

It was not a good thing if you had to slap the air scrubbers every time you start the starship up just to get them to work. You wouldn't even know they turned off if it the air didn't start tasting like socks and Johbi had a tendency to pass out when the air got thin. That's why the cargo bay was depressurized. They couldn't supply the kind of air flow required to keep the whole ship breathing.

Zereth didn't notice her lingering hand until it was pulled away and she hobbled off. He stuck around, even if just to make sure she got to the refresher without falling down. When the the door closed he waited a few moments and then headed to the bridge; waking up Johbi and handing him the flimsy with the coordinates. No words were needed as the younger man stepped into action plugging them in.

It would only take them an hour or so to land, so Zereth got ready. While a shower would have been nice he wasn't going to rush Asha. Instead he threw his long hair into a pony tail, threw on some fresh clothing; also black, and would have grabbed his cloak but it had gotten a bit soiled in their adventure the day before. He went without, instead grabbing a leather jacket that felt far too foreign on his shoulders. Lightsabre hidden away he was ready to see what the day brought him.

"Send the landing codes and take us down."

Asha Vendax

Mar 10th, 2013, 10:54:45 PM

The water had been lukewarm, at best, and even that had only lasted a short while. But it was still enough for a shower that left her feeling at least a little bit better than she had before. A shower, even a quick one, and fresh clothes always worked wonders.

She slipped into the cockpit and resumed her seat without saying anything as the two men worked together to bring the ship into the spaceport. She smoothed out her simple black pants and ensured that the crash webbing wouldn't wrinkle her silver shimmersilk blouse too badly. Shoulder length curls were a vivid, bright shade of blue held back from her now-delicate face with a silver ribbon.

Eyes of a gleaming green looked out of the viewport, watching as the hanger loomed ever larger while an open door beckoned them forward. There would be a landspeeder waiting, with a driver, as was her identity's custom to be so ferried about when on-world. At least this time she'd be thankful for it, considering her still wavering vision and questionable balance.

Zereth Lancer

Mar 11th, 2013, 12:31:44 PM

As Johbi announced their descent through the atmosphere Zereth took the precaution to strap himself in. The ship was not in it's best condition and turbulence was a constant companion. Even with the crash webbing holding him in place he still felt thrown around. A cure for sore muscles it was not. As they approached the spaceport Zereth made sure to keep a sharp eye out; checking even the most minute details as they flew in. The last thing he wanted was to be caught by surprise. They were not in their domain anymore like they had been in Coronet. That city was under Zereth thumb. Here he felt exposed. Vulnerable.

As they finally set down, sans grace, and the bumpy ride came to an end, Zereth pulled himself out of his webbing and looked back at Asha, and found himself staring for a moment as his eyes adjusted to the new look. It looked much better on her than mud but was far to flashy for his own tastes. Nodding to Johbi he informed the younger man that he would escort the lady and to keep an eye out for any trouble. He had his comm, and with that he left the ship in the sometimes capable hand of his apprentice.

There was no room to argue his involvement as he offered Asha his hand and helped her off the ship, down the loading ramp, and into her waiting speeder. As they stepped into the warm sunlight of a new day Zereth padded down his coat with his free hands until he located a set of sunglasses. Less to shield the sunlight and more to hide his distinguishing red eyes. Even in a galaxy full of all shapes and features, a humanoid with red eyes was not a common sight without accompanying blue skin.