Chapter 2.
Latest edit: January 6th, 2015. As always, cheers and enjoy!
If Torian didn't know better, he'd be convinced she knew he was following her. How else could he explain all the efforts she made to conceal their tracks? The more he followed, the more he enjoyed it. She was proving to be challenging to keep up with, and he was always up for a challenge.
Then he got closer than he had wanted.
"Wasn't that Torian guy cute?"
The Champion was busy running soil through her gloved fingers, smelling the soil. Torian approved, no better way to make sure you were following the right tracks, aside for tasting the soil, but that was never safe with Sith Spawn. She stood and frowned at her companion.
"I get that I don't let you have enough fun, but now is not the time to get distracted, Mako."
Mako pouted, but acquiesced. "Fine, you're right, but seriously, what did you think of him? I saw that you two had a moment!"
The Champion froze, but did not say anything. Torian was surprised by how much he wanted to hear her answer. Mako bounced on the Champion and squealed. "Oh come one! Give me something?"
The Champion sighed. "Now is really not the time, Mako."
Mako did not seem bothered by the stern talking to, she even stuck her tongue out as the Champion began to move ahead again.
"Fine!" Mako said following along, careful to tread with light feet. "I'll just assume you like him then, ok Raidre?"
The Champion did not respond and Torian lagged for a while as he let them get a bit of distance. Their relationship was not what he'd expected. The way they had walked into camp you would have thought they were both the epitome of professionalism. Their familiarity was jarring for Torian and he felt like he had invaded their privacy. He made sure to keep his distance from this point on.
The jungles of Dromund Kaas(1) were notorious for the dangerous wild life and its complete darkness during night. It was late afternoon, but already one needed sharp eyes to get around without becoming prey. Once the darkness really started settling in, Mako attempted to light her way, but Raidre stopped her before she could do something so foolish. And the Champion was right to. Vine cats(2) yowled at each other in the distance for territory or for a prized female, but it was the Gundarks and Jurgorans(3) you had to watch out for. The former was just a brute that could easily crush any Mando'ad even with full armour, while the later was known for its viciousness.
Raidre knew her stuff, she led Mako through the jungle without any incidents and once or twice they sneaked by a nest of some sorts and avoided unnecessary confrontation with the local wildlife. Torian knew these jungles well and he was impressed with her navigation. He was even more impressed with her respect for the nature and fauna itself. She took great pains to leave no marks in the wake of her passage. Not a single beast needed to be slain, no branch broken. His approval for her grew with every passing moment.
He had been to the cave itself many times, first when people had started disappearing and then later to find the Brood Sire himself, but luck had never favoured him in his quest. The two women stumbled upon it. They entered the cave in silence and moved in. Raidre lead them with blasters drawn, her eyes watching for movement. It was not a very deep cave and so they reached the Brood Sire's lair in no time. Torian settled into a good spot high above the section of the cave where Raidre and Mako were scouting, he could feel that beat he had told her about. She must have felt it too because her head jerked in a direction to the east as soon as it began. It was waiting for them. Torian felt a pang of jealousy, he had come here many times seeking the creature, but it had never shown itself to him. Yet here were these strangers and it looked as if it was a matter of time before the Brood Sire would come to greet them.
Torian began to flex his hand again, it was developing into a nervous habit, a 'tell'. He would have to curve the tendency or it might become an issue in the future, but for now it was letting Torian vent some of his nerves. All he wanted to do was jump in and help the two women, but he doubted they would thank him for intervening. To Raidre's credit, she never flinched, not even as the earth shook from the Sith Spawn's charge, even Mako took a step back. All Raidre did was take a breath to steady herself and shake her arms out, her blasters out and ready, eyes up to meet the beast.
"You ready?"
Mako nodded. "On your mark."
The Sith Spawn lifted an arm and let it fall where the women stood, they both jumped out of the way, Raidre's jet pack engaged as she went in to land a punch straight in its face. Torian held his breath, gutsy of her. It connected, but all it did was attract the creature's ire. Somehow, Torian figured that was the idea. Mako barely had the time to recover from throwing herself out of the way before Raidre sent a volley of missiles at the creature. It roared at the heat, but was otherwise unharmed. Raidre landed and grounded herself, letting loose a volley of blaster shots that kept the creature coming after her. In the meantime Mako had found a suitable spot from where she could both hide if need be and harass the Brood Sire. The whole time they played this game of monkey in the middle with the creature. Wearing it down without ever needing to take any risks. Raidre always kept it close to her all the while never letting it get too close. Her armour was medium, which meant vulnerabilities, and she did not use an energy shield, which meant a direct hit might do some serious damage to her.
In the meantime, Mako offered solid support, harassing the creature from behind, even venturing out into the open to better follow. They were an effective duo. Torian sighed, they made this beast look like he was no challenge at all. The creature had begun to look a little worse for wear, it was littered with blaster wounds that seeped dark blood, but still it fought on. Mako was beginning to cheer and laugh, Raidre remained serious, all business. The louder noise from Mako must have attracted the Brood Sire, because all of a sudden it veered around and grabbed for her. Raidre began to shout to get the creature's attention, flailing her arms hoping the motion would catch its eye. But Mako was also shouting and trying to get out of its way. Mako was stepping backwards on uneven footing all the while shooting, it was a recipe for disaster, and so it came to no surprise for Torian when she fell.
It happened so fast that even Torian missed it, but from one second to the next Mako was in the Brood Sire's clutches and a sickening crack echoed through the cave followed by Mako's curses. Raidre didn't waste any time, she shot another volley at the creature's back which prompted it turn around. Once it was facing her she activated her jet packs and flew in punching the creature in the face again. This allowed Mako to slip out of its grasp, but her landing was awkward, the Champion used all the force of her jet packs to actually push the creature back. Once the creature was far enough, Raidre rushed in and carried Mako behind her original hiding spot. The Brood Sire shook its ugly head, dazed and maybe even a little confused. The creature got back on its feet and was searching for the women again. Raidre checked from her location and grit her teeth. She pulled something out of her jacket and gave it to Mako before the girl had the chance to argue.
The Brood Sire advanced towards them and the Champion jumped out of hiding, grabbing a hold of one its horns and climbing on its head. It bucked and struggled to get Raidre off, but she had a strong hold. Before the creature had an opportunity to try and buck again Raidre sent a volley of missiles for its neck. Torian had no idea what Sith Spawn were made of but whatever it was, they had to be made tough to be able to take six missiles to the neck and still live. The unfortunate outcome was that now it knew exactly where she was and it made a grab for Raidre.
Its attempt was successful and Torian held his breath.
There would be no shame in a death against such a creature, but he found himself hoping that she'd escape.
She struggled against the creature's grip, but it was far stronger than her even with hydraulic joints(4). Her blasters lay on the ground, dropped when she had been wrested from her secure position on the creature's back. She frowned up at it and the Sith Spawn roared in her face. She blinked at the loud noise and coughed, but otherwise did not react. Once it ceased trying to assert its dominance, Raidre roared right back at it.
"You want some?!"
She put both of her fists up, pointing at its face, Torian sucked in his breath in anticipation. He knew what was coming and it was going to be good. Her flamethrowers came to life and the creature dropped her as it tried to brush the flames from its eyes. Raidre landed hard, rolled with the force of the impact, picked up her blasters and was back on her feet facing the beast. She made her way to Mako's side all the while her blasters trailing it. The skinny girl was fumbling with what looked like a syringe, but two of her fingers were twisted in angles they should not have been able to. What was worrisome was her right arm, her blaster arm, was bent where no joint existed. Raidre did not waste her time, she pulled the syringe from the girl's hands and shoved it into her arm, Mako gritted her teeth but otherwise remained quiet. The creature roared in pain, but stayed to the far side of the cave still clawing at its eyes. This gave Raidre ample time to use her healing skills, she set the girl's fingers and arm then called an emergency scan on the girl. Mako sighed and flexed her arm, now right as rain.
Raidre put a hand to her lips, signalling for silence. Mako nodded, and Raidre came out of cover, walking up to the still dazed Sith Spawn, her strides were even and firm; they sent echoes bouncing off the cave walls. Her arm rose as she got closer to the Brood Sire. It turned its head in her direction, viscose fluids leaked from where eyes had once been, burnt now and even melted from the heat of the flames. Raidre kept advancing, lining up her blaster to the level of its head, she was going in for the kill and Torian was impressed with them.
Mako peaked over her hiding spot and got her blaster ready. The creature seamed to get itself under control, it shook pieces of flesh out of its face, eyes gone, the sockets now puckering and bleeding, but it inhaled deeply. Raidre shot it dead in the eyes again, it howled as its head fell back. The Champion holstered her blasters as she leaned forward. The engine on the missile was stronger than others Torian had seen her use before. This one was so strong, that to keep it from propelling her forward, she had to lean her body against it, offering a counter force for stability thanks to gravity. Thanks to her adjusted positioning she got everything stable so that she could aim the missile directly at the distracted and agonized Sith spawn. Mako came out of cover and began shooting at it. It turned in the direction of Mako's shouts and began to move towards her, slower now, swaying on its feet, oozing thick blood from multiple wounds.
The missile made a high pitch whine as it shot off, Raidre had to take a step back to avoid falling with the sudden release of force as the missile departed from her back. The missile knocked the Sith Spawn off its feet right before it exploded, Mako dodged behind cover to avoid any debris, Raidre stood tall and unflinching. Bits of flesh fell to the ground, blood was splattered everywhere, Raidre advanced to confirm the creature was dead. Torian smiled as she double-tapped the Brood Sire. He watched her wrap things up both proud and envious of her natural skills. She had taken no serious injuries, and had assisted an ally in the middle of combat rather than stealing the kill. She had shared her honour with her companion even though their skills were not equal and nothing required her to do so.
She was his hero.
Torian jumped up and shouted before her could process what he had done. "OYA!"
Both girls looked in his direction and he threw himself flat on the ground.
He decided now was as good a time as any to make his exit. The last thing he glimpsed was Mako looking for Raidre and Raidre advancing to what was left of the Sith Spawn to collect her trophy.
He raced back through the thick jungle, dark and enveloping, helping him to keep his secret from both the Champion and his clan. When he returned to camp, he knew he had not been missed. He settled back into the familiar silence and walked in, Jogo soon found him.
NOTES:
1.Dromund Kaas was the third planet in the Dromund system, a star system in the Sith Worlds region of the Outer Rim Territories's Esstran sector. Originally a colony of the Sith Empire, its location was lost by the time of the Great Hyperspace War with the Galactic Republic, but the Sith Emperor led his people on a twenty-year odyssey that ended with the rediscovery of Dromund Kaas in 4980 BBY. The Emperor and the remnants of the shattered Sith society reconstituted the Sith Empire with Dromund Kaas as its capital, taming the planet's savage jungles and building up their Empire's strength from the skyscrapers of Kaas City. Dromund Kaas remained safe from Republic reprisal when the Empire launched the Great Galactic War in 3681 BBY, though a Republic invasion fleet assaulted the Imperial capital in 3641 BBY during the Galactic War with the Empire while a Jedi Knight fought and defeated the Emperor in personal combat.
2. Vine cats were felinoidreptomammals found in the outlying portions of Haruun Kal and the forests of Ziost. They came in half a dozen species, and their skin was used to make leather.
3 . Jurgorans were large, amphibious animals native to Dromund Kaas, where they were challenged only by the gundark for a position at the top of the food chain. They were known for their sharp claws and tought hides, and they had been transplanted to several worlds across the galaxy.
4.Armour type or complete limb replacement. As armour it would reinforce a humanoid's soft tissues and joints. With the assistance of pistons and a motor, this armour could increase a person's lifting, throwing or pull capacity.