Destinies: Breaking Point

[Lilaena De'Ville]

De'Ville stood at the bottom of the ramp that lead into the Revenge, the Sith Infiltrator she'd had ever since Jeseth Cloak had destroyed the My Vengence. Waiting. Waiting for Gabran Darkysa and T'air'un Bled.

Her two apprentices were not late, but they weren't exactly early either. She inhaled the sulfurous underground air, and hoped they weren't lost in the catacombs. Bast was a puzzle, and she wasn't sure either one of them had figured out how to track where they were in the Force yet. Then again... two figures appeared in the doorway to the buried hangar, and she cracked her neck as they drew closer.

She was itching to go out, and these two needed some real life lessons. Rocks in the dark were all well and good, but nothing taught like experiences.

[Gabran Darkysa]

Circumnavigating through the underground catacombs beneath Bast was rather challenging. Despite the combined efforts of both him and his master's other apprentice, T'air'un Bled. They traveled silently and stealthily, not uttering a word and making a sound. They were like deliberate strangers yet they displayed uncanny synergy and proficiency. Communicating with gesture instead of speech through the debris-filled tunnels. Like natural-born assassins answering their summons.

Gabran finally saw his master, Lilaena De'Ville watching from the ramp of her new Sith Infiltrator called Revenge. She did not display any outward emotions yet he detected some difference about her. What was she preparing her two apprentices for. But knowing full well his master had concocted a means of on the field training. Somewhere perhaps even beyond Bast itself.

Walking up to the ship, Gabran greeted her with a respecting bow and word, "Hail, Master Lilaena, what purpose brings T'air'un and I out here?" He smiled and looked over her ship with visible glee.

[T'air'un Bled]

Though the trip had been long, T'air'un felt good after doing a bit of physical labor. The force was powerful, but nothing felt better to him than to use his own muscles. Bled breathed a sigh, partially because he was tired, but mostly because of the ship before his eyes. It was unlike any design he had seen. There seemed to be more parts than necessary, but impressive nontheless. He looked over at the man he had traveled with. He seemed like a competent person, but T'air knew not to trust anyone here. Bled looked to his master, waiting for her to answer her other apprentice's question.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

She watched her apprentices emerge, and smiled as they drew close. Darkysa had something to say, as usual, and T'air'un did not...also as usual. "We are taking a trip. Have either of you been to Ryloth?" She ushered them up the ramp, and it closed quietly behind them.

De'Ville scooted around the two men and they followed her into the cockpit. "Darkysa, sit there," she motioned to the co-pilot's seat, "But do not touch anything." T'air'un took the seat behind the pilot's chair, and De'Ville settled in to her's as she began the preflight checklist. "No problems finding the docking platform then?"

[Gabran Darkysa]

Gabran grin grew larger and said absently, "Ryloth in the Orus sector? Ahh yes the twi'lek home planet."

He followed Lilaena into the craft with T'air'un Bled close behind. His master gestured to the co-pilot's seat and Gabran sat admiring the instrumental panel. He nodded his head appreciatively, impressed with the craft's slick design. Lights from the various instruments cast the apprentice's face in a multi-colored spectral glow. He raised an eyebrow at Lilaena's jest about finding the docking platform and looked back at T'air'un Bled with a smirk. Averting his eyes back on Lilaena, he said, "It was interesting."

He laid his hands upon his thighs trying to keep them off the instruments. Rubbing them slowly up and down, looking out the cockpit, trying to appear eager and altogether uninterested. But knew his master could read him all too easily and decided to pop the question, speaking with a serious tone, "Why are we going to Ryloth, Master?"

[T'air'un Bled]

The sound of Ryloth was like music to T'air'un's ears. It had been a long time since he had a job there. No smuggler, mercenary, or bounty-hunter he met had ever had a bad time on the Twi'lek home-world. Bled hoped that he'd have enough time to visit a few old 'acquaintances' while they were there. T'air'un sat back in his chair, finally, his training didn't seem so bad. He closed his eyes as he listened to Gabran and Lilaena talk about their mission.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

"Why are we going there? You will find out." She activated the repulsors and Gabran looked up to find a pair of huge doors above them opening up. Cleverly disguised to blend in with the surface of Vjun, the hangar was practically invisible unless it was open.

She flipped a switch as she directed the ship through the doors, and a prepared communication was sent without her passengers noticing.

On schedule to Ryloth. Do not forget your promise.

De'Ville hummed tunelessly, the noise drowned out by the sound of the hyperdrive.

[Gabran Darkysa]

The great hanger doors opened with a thunderous metallic grind. The ship shook and trembled as Lilaena activated the repulsor engines and lifted up out of the earth. And the ship soon began to stabilize as Gabran looked out over the span of Vjun's crimson-hued skies.

He stretched out his legs and leaned back in his seat. Calculating the time it would take to reach Ryloth. (One of the many planets that intrigued Gabran.) He thought about burning the time by napping through hyperspace travel. But perhaps Master De'Ville would require his assistance. Instead he reclined his head with eyes narrowly fixed on the darkening skies.

[Polak'nek]

I was finding it more and more seductive to not think as the days progressed.

Awareness draped itself heavily over me, interrupting my blissful slumber. A message had come in. A message? For me. For he... us... me. It was for me.

I was an important Twi'lek, faced with the task of overseeing a rycrit farm. It was a fairly mundane position, except for the caverns underneath the rycrits, which contained a large and very secret vein of ryll spice. Secret messages were not all that unusual. I read it aloud.

"On schedule to Ryloth. Do not forget your promise, hm?"

My promise? Oh... his, my, MY promise. I remembered it now. I spoke to my assistant, Varr'aven, in Twi'leki. An odd thought hit me. I didn't speak much anymore. None of us did. We functioned like the fingers of a single hand - everyone knew what the rest was doing? What a peculiar thought.

"Send the response."

I wondered briefly what "the response" meant. Varr'aven dutifully punched in a message that read like this, and then sent it back:

"Acknowledged. We do hope you enjoy your tour of Threyfalt Rycrit Enterprises. Planetary coordinates follow."

He pushed some other button then, but I'd lost interest. It was not important. What WAS important was that visitors were coming. I knew who one of them was. No, I didn't. I did.

I should tell the men... ah, they'd know already, wouldn't they? Of course they did. But I should pass out the special tools that we'd use on their arrival. Not on HER, of course. This would be interesting, and even enjoyable.

What an odd thought! Slumber again overcame me.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Acknowledged. We do hope you enjoy your tour of Threyfalt Rycrit Enterprises. Planetary coordinates follow.

De'Ville entered the coordinates into the computer, and let a faint smile trace her lips. "We will be visiting the Threyfalt Rycit Enterprises...something Black Sun would love to have under their control. If only they knew what was really going on there."

She got up from the controls, and turned to Gabran, who at least appeared interested, and then to T'air'un, who was still silent. "We are going to be in transit for quite a few hours, so you might want to relax." She walked to the back of the ship, into the main room, where a de'jarik board was nestled against a small sitting area.

She called up the passageway to the two men, "You may rest here. I will be in my room if you need me."

[T'air'un Bled]

T'air'un nodded slightly as Lileana passed him. Threyfalt Rycit Enterprises stuck out in his mind. He'd never worked for or against them or Black Sun. Well, not knowingly at least. He'd heard stories for years about the company, but never actually bothered to confirm any of them. With a slight lack of things to do, T'air'un kept his eyes closed and fell as close to sleep as he could without losing conciousness.

[Polak'nek]

In a more lucid moment of lucidity, I took the time from my busy schedule to ensure the fifteen Twi'leks under my command were ready to go. Some were still off sealing the errant spice mine, but most were standing around with amusingly blank looks on their faces. A grin passed over my own blank face, startling me.

The workers were all males, of course. Females did more.. delicate... work than this on Ryloth. Or, more often than not, off of Ryloth.

I absent-mindedly cleaned a sort of tube that I'd been keeping under my tunic today. At first glance, it was just a skull from some unknown predatory animal... teeth sticking out wickedly from the pommel... but further inspection revealed the skull was set into some sort of hard, resin-like material that provided most of the grip. What was this thing? I couldn't remember. Ah. I didn't need to know. I was content. I was... hm. Was I?

The workers. Yes, the workers had shut in the rycrits and were closing up the mine. They were all armed with blaster rifles, pistols, or the long rycrit poles they used for herding purposes. Herding a motley group of unsavory, one-ton creatures around required a lot of voltage.

The time schedule was shortening. Drawing tight into a noose that strangled my mind. I'd have to finish my work on these Twi'lek fools today.

It was the last thought I ever had, and it wasn't even my own.

Eternal darkness enveloped my soul and choked all the parts of me that made me ME into oblivion.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Some time later, De'Ville directed the Revenge through the eclipsed side of Ryloth, heading towards the slightly warmer twilight band which circled the planet.

Buried beneath impressively lifeless mountain ranges were any number of Twi'lek cities. One spot in paticular interested her, the nature of the business dictating that Threyfalt Rycrit Enterprises was separated from any urban centers. She released her reflexes to the Force, slipping deeply into concentration as she piloted the Infiltrator towards a smally docking bay.

The heavy doors which protected the ships from the intense heat storms which often plagued the twilight zone opened without any communication from the Twi'leki personnel. The Revenge glided in on replusors, and De'Ville settled it down lightly on the permacrete landing pad. "Are you ready to see?" She turned to her apprentices, who were again sitting in the seats beside and behind her.

[T'air'un Bled]

T'air'un snapped awake as he was being spoken to. Despite his best efforts, sleep had claimed him, but he was rested and ready for whatever his master had to throw at him. He nodded to her, and then looked Gabran for his acknowledgement.

[Polak'nek]

A single set of doors opened on the far end of the crude hangar as the Revenge settled down on her repulsorlifts. These were, in fact, the only doors the hangar had - besides the ones the ships passed through. A lone Twi'lek male walked in, his hands clasped behind his back. Judging by his rough attire and crudely-positioned lekku, he was probably a mere rycrit handler.

The only other contents of the hangar was an old Headhunter that looked like it would fall to pieces if anyone ever tried to fly it. For how rough and ill-maintained the duracrete floor was, the walls were peculiarly shiny. All that could be heard aside from the noises the Revenge's engines made as they cooled were the faint whirring sound of a nearby, but unseen, power generator. The Twi'lek strode to within twenty paces of where the newcomers' ship's exit ramp would fall, and waited. His mind was... very unoccupied... but he took comfort in the slim blaster tucked into the back of his pants.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

De'Ville strode down the ramp. "Ah, a welcoming committee." She looked at the Twi'lek carefully, but didn't sense anything odd about his emotions. He seemed..slightly euphoric, but perhaps he'd been hitting the ryll. "We are here to take the tour, as arranged previously with your boss."

Darkysa and Bled followed their master down the ramp, standing slightly behind her and to either side. Bled had just woken up, but seemed to be alert enough. She just hoped it was enough.

[Polak'nek]

The Twi'lek glanced at De'Ville, and let loose a sharp-toothed smile.

"Ah yes, Ms. De'Ville... I hope your two protogés enjoy the tour. You should find m... my boss... at the conclusion of it. A promise is a promise."

With that, he nonchalantly pulled his blaster and shot at T'air'un Bled.