Awaiting the Hunter. (Jeran)

[Nemesis]

Three days after the events at a dismal little bar on a nameless planet (http://www.swforums.net/forum/showthread.php?s=&postid=417709#post417709), Nemesis stayed true to his word and went in search of Jeran.

The assassin sought out a remote meeting place which would ensure the conversations privacy. He found such a location in the swamp planet of Dagobah.

A message had been sent along frequencies and channels exclusive to Plague members. It was now only a matter of time before Jeran's arrival.

Two days were already spent on the unusual world, but he did not squander his time. Many long hours of training passed as he awaited his comrade. On this particular day, he uprooted a large stump which he bore on his shoulders while performing a series of squats and thrusts.

[Jeran Conrad]

"You grow stronger every time we meet." The voice came from behind Nemesis. The Assassin was a very percepitve foe, one who was rarely caught unawares. However, it was The Hunter who mastered the arts of masking his own presence. The Assasins' strength was amazing and, coupled with The Hunter's speed, the two were a very difficult pair to handle.

Coming into view of Nemesis, Jeran threw down his satchel. Silently, he called his horse--Faith--into view. He always left his steed behind until he knew the coast was clear. There was no danger here for him. Standing before his teammate, he stripped off his cloak and his tunic, now wearing only his pants and boots. Gripping a smaller--but heavy nonetheless--log, he clean-jerked it above his head. Bringing it to rest on his shoulders, he began to mimic Nemesis. It seemed that he communicated best when his body was at work. When the two trained together, they found it easier to speak.

"You(grunt) called me here(grunt) for a reason, I know(grunt)." He spoke between squats, stretching his powerful leg muscles out in the crisp jungle air. "Care to enlighten(grunt) me, my friend(grunt)?"

[Nemesis]

A momentary pause halted his strenuous exercises, as he rose to his feet. With the massive piece of timber still in place, Nemesis spoke.

"Indeed, there are matters I have need to discuss with you..."

However, he was unwilling to begin this talk on a potentially damaging topic, for it had been quite some time since the assassin had seen his friend. Thus, he chose to forestall matters of the heart for a few more moments.

"...,but there is still much time left to deal with them." His exercises resumed. Though the dark clad warrior's words scarcely moved from the battle hardened tones of a soldier, each held a distinct housing that seemed to portray his feelings of kinship with Jeran. "How goes the hunt?"

[Jeran Conrad]

"The hunt goes as always. It will never end. As long as the darkside exists, so will the need for a hunter." He continued with his own. He could tell that there was something on the other's mind--it was evident from his level of concentration. Jeran could feel the mind of this friend working.

"I have not visited the Plague quarters since our last mission. I assume all is well there?" He spoke with monotone, but still expressed some concern. He was visiting now with his most important friend of the Plague, so the question was mostly aimed at he. "I shall return soon. I had...business to attend to." He thought of Dae. Then he thought of his meeting with Xazor. Indeed, much had happened in the past few days.

[Nemesis]

"All is well with your comrades, as it is with me."

Nemesis let the cumbersome log slip from his shoulders, allowing it to crash along the damp, marsh floor. He ceased all activity, before venturing over to a small grouping of stacked supplies and a rope woven hammock stretched between two trees. The assassin removed an obsidian vest from amongst the provisions, then placed it around his bare upper body.

He was unable to commit to his rigorous training. Though he was neither tired nor late for business elsewhere, his mind could no longer prolong the inevitable.

"I am afraid that this....business....you speak of, is quite possibly the reason for our meeting here."

His unwavering military prowess had never prepared the warrior for dealings of emotion. Even now he found great difficulty in expounding on his thoughts. The knowledge of what she was, only intensified the struggle.

Gathering his thoughts and taking one deep breath, he turned to his trusted ally and spoke.

"Several days ago I received word of a Sith woman who sought an audience with me. I assumed her reasons for the search were to provide her with an opportunity to kill me.

I had no intentions of eluding the dark sider. If she did, indeed, desire to slay me, then I would gladly welcome her challenge and in turn....take her life.

However, just prior to our scheduled encounter, I was informed that her purposes were not for my sake....but for yours.

Needless to say I was puzzled. Why would a Sith would come to me in order to discuss you? The only logical explanation for one of her kind searching for one of us is with the objective of our demise, or so I thought.

I soon learned who she was, why she sought you, and for what reasons she came to me knowing that I would certainly kill her where she stood if her intent be murdering you."

Tense silence swept over the pair, Nemesis prepared himself for the very taxing question he had sworn to ask.

"Tell me.....what are your feelings toward one, Daetana Jinn?"

[Jeran Conrad]

The Hunter paused, dropping the great log on his back. He wiped his hands and looked down the the ground. The question had been posed from his friend...a question he wasn't looking forward to.

"Tell me.....what are your feelings toward one, Daetana Jinn?"

"I...I do not know a Daetana Jinn." He lied. It wasn't that he didn't trust Nemesis--he trusted the Assassin with his life. He just didn't trust himself. It was more than difficult for him to open up in a situation like this. Especially to talk about something like this...someone he loved...

"I am afraid I can offer you no insight, for I have none." Another lie. He wasn's sure how to approach the situation. He turned his back to Nemesis, walking towards his brown satchel. From it he pulled a small hunting knife. He wanted to cut some of the fruits from the nearest tree to eat.

[Nemesis]

The assassin's acute hearing noted a faint hesitation in his friend's speech, a powerful indication that the hunter was lying. Further proof arose when Jeran neglected their talk, choosing to preoccupy himself with a nearby fruit tree.

Nemesis did not fault his comrade for the deception; he even supposed that his action might be similar if roles were reversed. However, he could do little to aid in this troubling matter. Jeran must first admit his relationship with Dae.

"I am grateful to hear that. I would have hated to discover one of my most trusted men consorting with the enemy."

Reaching into an inner vest pocket, the warrior drew back a palm sized data pad. With a few systematic entries on the surface, the device was brought to life with beeps and humming. Mild, green beams of light etched a three dimensional screen in midair.

"A few days before my encounter with the woman in question, I had TX perform a thorough investigation into Ms. Jinn's background."

Slow, steady steps brought him alongside the hunter. Nemesis held the small instrument, still aglow, out for the other to take.

"Assault, kidnapping, mass murder.....it's all right here and I have reason to doubt this is a complete list."

His eyes rested heavily on Jeran, though his ally had not yet turned to meet the gaze.

"You know what this means."

He laid his tool to the side, in the hunter's full view, then left, returning to the equipment in mock preparation.

[Jeran Conrad]

As he spoke, conviction washed over Jeran's mind. He was very good at keeping things secret--his subterfuge and tone were always with him when he spoke contridictary to his feelings. But he felt it difficult to lie to, what he considered, one of his very few real friends. He trusted the Assassin.

"My friend..." he turned to face Nemesis. "I...I know her." His face showed that he was being honest with the Assassin now, and his tone was much softer. "Dae Jinn and I met some time ago, on the planet Gias. We fought and her Master, Sorsha, unleashed a powerful attack on me. I was injured and dying, when...she...she saved me." He paused, thinking of his next response.

"I returned the favor by sparing her life--not hunting her. That is all. That is the end of our relationship." He thought of the charges before her. She had quite a list. Dammit Dae, he thought. She made this harder and harder for him, it seemed.

"You know what this means."

He sighed heavily, understanding exactly what the Assassin meant. He looked down, then back towards Nemesis.

"Yes, I do." He waited for the other's response.

[Nemesis]

The tactics had been harsh, but necessary, for now at least he knew Dae had not deceived him about her past encounters with the hunter. Only one question still remained unanswered; did Jeran return her affection?

His preparations were brought to an abrupt halt, as bone white eyes narrowed on his friend.

"Well,..." Nemesis' voice took on a very matter of fact tone, meant to inform without placing guilt or shame upon the listener. "...it would seem that her feelings for you run deeper than a common 'business' exchange. So deep in fact that she elicited help from me to find you. She wants to see you again, Jeran."

The piercing glare softened slightly, but his rigid military stance held firm. This situation proved to be most perplexing for the dark clad warrior. Instinct demanded swift justice, while his heart called for discretion.

[Jeran Conrad]

Jeran's eyes softened as he spoke. Memories of Dae ran through his head like a deep and fierce and flowing river, their depths crashing against the soft embankment that was his mind. He still cared greatly for her. That, he could no longer hide, as Nemesis would probably gather for his influx in emotion.

"I am sorry for decieving you, my friend." He spoke with a lowered tone, much softer and much weaker, as though he wasn't wanting to share this fact with Nemesis, but had too. "It's true. I did share her affection...two specific occasions. Twice we spent time together. Twice I tried to stay away, but could not." It was strange, his tone. He had always felt a connection the the assassin since they met, but rarely had then men spoken of emotion. They had discussed plans and counterplans and strategy and combat. Emotions were rarely involved if even considered.

"I...I find it difficult to deal with her..." He tried his best to be communicative about his feelings, but it was difficult for the battle-hardened man. "I care for her...she returns...but I can't...and she wants this...but it can't be..." He hoped Nemesis would understand. He felt extremely foolish to be carrying on in such a way before the obsidian figure, but something told him his friend would be able to understand. He doubted it would be good news, but there was no other way around the fact, Jeran thought.

[Nemesis]

"Despite the obvious difficulties inherent to the situation, it must be dealt with and it is not within my power to do so, rightly."

Nemesis drew closer to his friend; the assassin's tone lost its severe edge.

"The matter can not be ignored nor can it be sufficed. You must make a decision, one that could forever change your life. Be not quick to choose either path."

[Jeran Conrad]

As the Assassin leaned in, Jeran stopped to listen. He was right, of course. This was something that had to be taken care of. There was little doubt about it. He motioned for his friend to follow him, and he walked with him side-by-side.

"I would seek your council, my friend." He flashed a glance at Nemesis, trying to read his eyes. They were difficult to read, the slits that they were. Always intense. "I am far from sure how to react to a situation like this. On the one hand...I care for her. Greatly." He felt foolish, but at this point, he had opened to Nemesis. "On the other, she is a Sith. It is my duty--" he remembered who he was talking to "--our duty to dispatch the powers of the dakside." Stopping before the swampland of a large wet clearing, he stood.

"I promised my life to be distant from people--especially women. And yet...now..." He had little to say. His instincts told him nothing, and he relied so heavily on them that he felt lost. Animal instinct and survival did little when a man was in love.

[Nemesis]

The pair walked along the banks of a thick, green pond; discussing the grim issues that lie before them. Time held an odd place on this world. As they traversed their dense jungle surroundings, light faded scarcely unable to pierce the thick jungle canopy overhead; giving a false atmosphere of night.

"I wish that I could guide you further, but no one can make this decision for you." Nemesis' voice portrayed the inward struggle being waged against his soul. "There resides the potential for suffering on either side you choose. Love is the strongest bond that any two people can posses. Once it touches a life, that life is forever changed. However, convictions are equally important to ones life and not easily changed."

[Jeran Conrad]

"You are right." He paused, stopping to admire the life at this particular corner of the pond. Frogs, tadpoles, snakes, and even moss flourished on the bank and the water that touched it. There were times he wished he could be a part of this environment. It was so simple, so untroubled. Life at a survival, natural level. It must be nice.

"This greatly troubles me." He looked back at Nemesis. "I must ask the question: what says I cannot flee from this problem? What says I just can't make an exception and ignore it?" He thought about his comment. "I am no coward, Nemesis. You know this to be true." He thought of their past. "Why does this problem have to exist? It can be...ignored."

[Nemesis]

Nemesis whipped about, cutting the hunter with a wide eyed glare. Despite his faceless visage, he was visibly astounded by Jeran's words. His comrade's suggestion to "ignore" the issue summoned great concern from the assassin. There were many legitimate reasons and potential excuses he suspected may be used, but flight was last in line.

"I know what kind of man you are, Jeran, and to hear you put forward such an idea conflicts with your very soul. It puts everything that you are, and everything you will be, in jeopardy."

Though he understood the hunter's desire for avoidance of the entire ordeal, Nemesis also understood what retreat would bring about.

"Fleeing a problem solves nothing and is an act of cowardice, at best. You are no coward.

For the sake of argument let us assume that you were able to escape her, this time. She came for you once. What makes you believe she won't come for you again?"

[Jeran Conrad]

The words felt as painful as if Nemesis would have punched him instead. But they were true--perhaps the most painful part indeed. He sighed heavily, facing Nemesis.

"You are right, again, my friend. You are right." He thought of what to say next. What was there to say? Only to say his plan of action. He wasn't sure what it would be. Would he break her heart by telling her what must happen? Would he face her--in violence? Would he run to her to stay with her? What would it be? The Hunter did not know.

"This will take some thinking, I assure you." He reviewed his options again as he thought. Sitting on an old stump, he continued to contemplate his situation.

[Nemesis]

"Go to her." was his simple reply.

If the sacrifices wrought by battle permitted the assassin to own any substance which could be rightly named a heart, it was indeed heavy. The myriad of conclusions residing at the ending of a single decision ahead tormented both mind and soul. For Nemesis knew, time might doom these present comrades to future enmity; a thought that ravaged the very fiber of his being.

"I know that you're decision will be a just one." He spoke extending a single gloved hand to be taken into Jeran's own. In all he said, he meant no falsity.

[Jeran Conrad]

Go to her

Nemesis had spoken the words that Jeran had questioned exsisted in the hardened warrior's mind. The man was a soldier through and through, with little response to emotion. When he did respond, it was a sign. It meant that something was important--very important.

Ever since the Imperial prisons on Kessel, their bond had been strong. If Nemesis hadn't asked him to join The Plague, he wouldn't have. If Nemesis asked to take a blaster for him, he would. This situation was no different. He felt as though he had...permission. Permission to be with Dae. Permission to love her, even though it wasn't going to be easy.

And he wanted to love her--more than anything else in this universe. The task would be difficult, but it could be accomplished. It could. Then, something struck him.

"What...what is to become of us?" He spoke directly to the obsidian warrior that stood so strongly before him. "Will you still respect a man who has chosen to bear such a burden?" He knew the answer to this question. Of course Nemesis and he would always be brothers. It was just something that he needed to hear, he needed it to be said. He didn't know why. It was just comfort.

[Nemesis]

Though his frame held its solid stance, the assassin's mind reeled with the culmination of all that he dreaded.

"Will you still respect a man who has chosen to bear such a burden?", the words still thundered across the inner most reaches of his thoughts. Nemesis had neglected the rigid guardianship over his own feelings, falling prey to the moment. Furthermore, he had all but forgotten his friend's keen Force senses, which undoubtedly alerted the hunter to his companion's misgivings.

It would seem that Nemesis also bore the weight of choice. As stated earlier, he knew what kind of man Jeran was. He fully understood the dedication and loyalty that drove the hunter. Yet, the shadowy assassin knew of love's manipulative powers; for good and evil.

Forcing it's way between tightly drawn lips, came his answer; "Respect and kinship are earned, but they must also be maintained. You have both from this meager soldier, yet, heed my warning.....once either has been lost they may never be resurrected.'

Gleaming embers of snow doggedly locked upon Jeran. "In this life and the next; you are forever my brother."

[Jeran Conrad]

In the moment, Jeran was happy that Nemesis could not sense the Force as he could himself. His inner being rejoiced at the sound of the words, though his outter body stood strong and with no visible emotional change. Nemesis and he would never part ideals, though perhaps this would be an obstacle in their paths. He knew the power of the connection between Jeran and Dae and, though Jeran expected nothing else of such a friend, he understood.

"Nemesis, on this day, our brotherhood solidifies. I can assure you that this will never harm relations between you and I. Not as long as my will is strong." He thought carefully of what to say next. It would be a very heavy, very serious point. The Hunter wanted it to be understood and clarified, for the sake of all the would come in their lives ahead.

"However, if this...relationship between Dae Jinn and myself ever brings into question my own character..." He got a picture in his head, of the dark side, creeping into his soul. "You will know what to do. As my friend...as my brother...let Truth and Justice always guide your hand, even when it comes to discipline." He thought about what he was about to say. His love for Dae was strong, but what he held on the tip of his tongue was all too important to hold back.

"If the crimes and misgivings of Dae Jinn grow to a level unforgivable...I trust the same judgement shall be passed." He extended a hand, knowing what he asked the Assassin to promise. "In this, in Truth, in Justice, and in our brotherhood, I trust."