Anya and Tyr began packing up their rudimentary camp just before dawn began breaking over the treeline, in what was becoming their morning routine. In what was becoming a rapidly increasing part of their routine, they were at each other's throats.
"Will you hurry up, already? How long does it take to fold up a two person tent?" Anya sniped, sitting on a small rock at the edge of the clearing.
"I'm almost done now. If you were that concerned with it, you could be helping, rather than sitting on your backside, warming a stone and complaining." Tyr shot back.
Anya didn't budge from her spot, as she idly stared at her dirty fingernails in disgust. "You're a Sith. Use the Force. That's what it's for. You're going to let them catch us at this rate."
"At least we'd be off this useless rock..." Tyr mumbled to himself as he finished closing up the sack that held their shelter.
Anya got up and grabbed her backpack. "Well, I'll be a twi'lek's hairdo. You'd actually like to be captured and show your weakness to the Jedi, wouldn't you!"
"As opposed to what?" Tyr threw his backpack over his shoulder and picked up the shelter. "Wandering around an uninhabited planet aimlessly?"
"You enjoy asking stupid questions, don't you?" Anya stared daggers at her 'lover'. "We'll find the right time and place to set a trap for the Jedi, and once we've defeated them, we'll double back and take their fighters."
"Right. Like they fell for the trap we laid for them the other day." Tyr grumbled as he headed off in the general direction of the mountains in the distance.
The local sun was now rising behind them, and they needed to be on their way. The Jedi were never far behind them, almost as though they were stalking them like prey. They had laid out a few explosives and pretended to over-sleep just the other day. Anya hid the explosives through the Force, and Tyr had sent out the calming aura. The Jedi didn't bite on their bait, but they were most certainly keeping distance only while they waited for their own opportune time.
Anya followed after Tyr, seething at their situation almost as much as she was at Tyr and his attitude. He had been questioning her more and more as time had gone on, and their time on the planet had been an apparent breaking point. He was still playing along for lack of any other options, but she felt as though she'd lost her control over him. She'd have to find some way to smooth all their issues over once they found a way off planet. For now, heading to the mountains was about all they could do, hoping that they could find a good defensive position... or maybe even a spot where they could unleash a land slide, crushing the Jedi under the weight of some of the mountain.
"Well, I know that they didn't see the explosives I was hiding. They must have not believed your sense that we were asleep and helpless."
----------------------
"I still don't see why we can't just take dem down now." Nal said calmly as they began their daily journey of tailing the Sith's trail, but Val insisted that they do so at a distance.
They usually slept in later or just mulled around for a little bit before heading out. They had a ship dropping them whatever nightly supplies they needed as well as an enclosure kit for a temporary habitat. They left it behind so that they could remain unencumbered as they traveled. The same ship would come by during the day and use tow cables to pick up their pack again. They could easily keep pace either way, but this would allow them to be more prepared should the Sith try anything.
Val placed his hand on his fellow Jedi's shoulder. "We shall feel it when the time is right. When they attack us out of desperation rather than the other way around, we have the advantage. If they are panicked, they will be careless, and we are more likely to be able to take advantage of that to get them into custody."
"Are you afraid of killing dem, Val? Do you think you'll automatically fall to da dark side if you kill a lowly Sith?"
"No, I am not afraid of killing them. I have had to kill in the past, and under the right circumstances, I would not hesitate to do so again. If the Sith were threatening lives, and the best way to ensure the safety of others was to kill them, that's exactly what I would do."
"Dey are endangering people by dere very existence." Nal countered. "Dey have been endangering innocent people over and over."
"Dark Jedis have been rehabilitated in the past, and even gone on to do great things. There is no imminent danger here to us or to any innocents. It would be best if we could capture them and try to help them."
The Chiss could feel that she was about to protest that they weren't the sort that would be worth saving, so he continued. "Besides... there are only two here, and we are looking for four."
He knew that would end the argument, but her consistent need for revenge when it came to these Sith was not healthy. He had to find a way for her to see that violence is always best avoided. He was sent to work with her in part to lead her through this and to the other side still in the light. If he wasn't careful, he'd run out of time.
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Tyr just wanted Anya to calm down. More than anything, that's what he wanted.
They had come out of the forest and upon the mountain range, but they did not like what they found. They were looking for somewhere they could climb to a higher ground, a defensible spot. What they found instead was something out of a corny holo-vid. The mountains came to an abrupt halt, with a nearly vertical climb in every direction they looked. It was as though either someone had laser cut a valley and a forest out of the mountains, or the mountains had been forced directly up out of the rock a few hundred meters. Tyr couldn't decide which. He'd never seen anything like it though. A bunch of impossible to climb walls of rock.
They couldn't turn back into the forest now, and the climb didn't look any more promising if they followed the edges of the rocks for a while in either direction.
Tyr started jogging down the valley without a word to Anya, who'd been cursing non-stop for the three minutes they'd cleared the tree line. With any luck, they'd find what they were looking for, or anything they could work with. She'd follow him. They didn't have any other options.
----------------
The Jedi stood at the very edge of the trees. It was an odd formation of mountains, to be sure. Nal commented that it looked as though someone had grabbed the mountains with several giant tractor beams, and pulled them straight out of the ground. Val couldn't disagree.
They watched through their macrobinoculars as the Sith ran down the valley away from them. They had a good kilometer or two on them still, but Val insisted that there was no hurry, to Nal's displeasure. They began their own trek down the canyon, holding their distance steady.
----------------
"Well, we're kriffed now, aren't we?!" Anya yelled. She was doing her best to just yell out of frustration and not yell at Tyr in particular, but it wasn't helping.
"This is better than it was when we got to the mountains. It's only a hundred meters or so up before you get to solid footing, and there's a few good creases for climbing. Maybe even a few good jumps." Tyr pointed to certain spots he felt would help them ascend the sheer face.
"Yeah, it's fracking great. I'm so pleased. Can I have a rancor for a pet next?" Anya spat.
It hit Tyr. Not physically, but emotionally and logically. He wasn't sure what had happened to Anya, but this was not the same girl he had fallen for. He was not even sure he really fell for her anymore. He didn't care for the woman in front of him at all. He had no desire to help her, or do what she asked.
Somewhere underneath this person in front of him was a weak Sith who had learned how to project power that she didn't have as a defense mechanism of sorts. He had allowed her to take charge of him for companionship and for the sex. Not because she was better than him. She wasn't. Not one bit.
He turned to her, and in as calm as a voice as he could manage, he told her. It came out cold. "I don't know you. I don't want to know you. You're not Anya anymore. You've become something else while trying to be something bigger that you're not. I'm no longer amused or under your spell."
Anya's mouth opened, but no sound came out. In her mind, she wasn't sure how to react. Something snapped in Tyr, and he was set on something. Yell or beg, it didn't seem to manner anymore. She closed her mouth, and let him continue.
"We have minutes before the Jedi arrive. If that. I know that's not enough time to climb those walls. Probably not for me, and definitely not for you. I have no desire to save you." He paused to let it sink in for a few seconds. "Somewhere underneath though, is a girl who may or may not have been my lover at some point. What she definitely was... is part of a group of friends who would not let each other down. Her, I would like to save."
Anya's mouth was open again, but words were not there. She wasn't sure which of them was confused.
"I'm going to hold off the Jedi for you to get a head start up the mountain. I hope that after I've defeated the Jedi, I find the girl I am looking for, so we can all go back to our friends. We were stronger as a group than we are now that we are apart."
Anya ran. Tyr turned and looked down the canyon. The Jedi were coming, and he could feel it. This would be his finest moment.
"Will you hurry up, already? How long does it take to fold up a two person tent?" Anya sniped, sitting on a small rock at the edge of the clearing.
"I'm almost done now. If you were that concerned with it, you could be helping, rather than sitting on your backside, warming a stone and complaining." Tyr shot back.
Anya didn't budge from her spot, as she idly stared at her dirty fingernails in disgust. "You're a Sith. Use the Force. That's what it's for. You're going to let them catch us at this rate."
"At least we'd be off this useless rock..." Tyr mumbled to himself as he finished closing up the sack that held their shelter.
Anya got up and grabbed her backpack. "Well, I'll be a twi'lek's hairdo. You'd actually like to be captured and show your weakness to the Jedi, wouldn't you!"
"As opposed to what?" Tyr threw his backpack over his shoulder and picked up the shelter. "Wandering around an uninhabited planet aimlessly?"
"You enjoy asking stupid questions, don't you?" Anya stared daggers at her 'lover'. "We'll find the right time and place to set a trap for the Jedi, and once we've defeated them, we'll double back and take their fighters."
"Right. Like they fell for the trap we laid for them the other day." Tyr grumbled as he headed off in the general direction of the mountains in the distance.
The local sun was now rising behind them, and they needed to be on their way. The Jedi were never far behind them, almost as though they were stalking them like prey. They had laid out a few explosives and pretended to over-sleep just the other day. Anya hid the explosives through the Force, and Tyr had sent out the calming aura. The Jedi didn't bite on their bait, but they were most certainly keeping distance only while they waited for their own opportune time.
Anya followed after Tyr, seething at their situation almost as much as she was at Tyr and his attitude. He had been questioning her more and more as time had gone on, and their time on the planet had been an apparent breaking point. He was still playing along for lack of any other options, but she felt as though she'd lost her control over him. She'd have to find some way to smooth all their issues over once they found a way off planet. For now, heading to the mountains was about all they could do, hoping that they could find a good defensive position... or maybe even a spot where they could unleash a land slide, crushing the Jedi under the weight of some of the mountain.
"Well, I know that they didn't see the explosives I was hiding. They must have not believed your sense that we were asleep and helpless."
----------------------
"I still don't see why we can't just take dem down now." Nal said calmly as they began their daily journey of tailing the Sith's trail, but Val insisted that they do so at a distance.
They usually slept in later or just mulled around for a little bit before heading out. They had a ship dropping them whatever nightly supplies they needed as well as an enclosure kit for a temporary habitat. They left it behind so that they could remain unencumbered as they traveled. The same ship would come by during the day and use tow cables to pick up their pack again. They could easily keep pace either way, but this would allow them to be more prepared should the Sith try anything.
Val placed his hand on his fellow Jedi's shoulder. "We shall feel it when the time is right. When they attack us out of desperation rather than the other way around, we have the advantage. If they are panicked, they will be careless, and we are more likely to be able to take advantage of that to get them into custody."
"Are you afraid of killing dem, Val? Do you think you'll automatically fall to da dark side if you kill a lowly Sith?"
"No, I am not afraid of killing them. I have had to kill in the past, and under the right circumstances, I would not hesitate to do so again. If the Sith were threatening lives, and the best way to ensure the safety of others was to kill them, that's exactly what I would do."
"Dey are endangering people by dere very existence." Nal countered. "Dey have been endangering innocent people over and over."
"Dark Jedis have been rehabilitated in the past, and even gone on to do great things. There is no imminent danger here to us or to any innocents. It would be best if we could capture them and try to help them."
The Chiss could feel that she was about to protest that they weren't the sort that would be worth saving, so he continued. "Besides... there are only two here, and we are looking for four."
He knew that would end the argument, but her consistent need for revenge when it came to these Sith was not healthy. He had to find a way for her to see that violence is always best avoided. He was sent to work with her in part to lead her through this and to the other side still in the light. If he wasn't careful, he'd run out of time.
------------------
Tyr just wanted Anya to calm down. More than anything, that's what he wanted.
They had come out of the forest and upon the mountain range, but they did not like what they found. They were looking for somewhere they could climb to a higher ground, a defensible spot. What they found instead was something out of a corny holo-vid. The mountains came to an abrupt halt, with a nearly vertical climb in every direction they looked. It was as though either someone had laser cut a valley and a forest out of the mountains, or the mountains had been forced directly up out of the rock a few hundred meters. Tyr couldn't decide which. He'd never seen anything like it though. A bunch of impossible to climb walls of rock.
They couldn't turn back into the forest now, and the climb didn't look any more promising if they followed the edges of the rocks for a while in either direction.
Tyr started jogging down the valley without a word to Anya, who'd been cursing non-stop for the three minutes they'd cleared the tree line. With any luck, they'd find what they were looking for, or anything they could work with. She'd follow him. They didn't have any other options.
----------------
The Jedi stood at the very edge of the trees. It was an odd formation of mountains, to be sure. Nal commented that it looked as though someone had grabbed the mountains with several giant tractor beams, and pulled them straight out of the ground. Val couldn't disagree.
They watched through their macrobinoculars as the Sith ran down the valley away from them. They had a good kilometer or two on them still, but Val insisted that there was no hurry, to Nal's displeasure. They began their own trek down the canyon, holding their distance steady.
----------------
"Well, we're kriffed now, aren't we?!" Anya yelled. She was doing her best to just yell out of frustration and not yell at Tyr in particular, but it wasn't helping.
"This is better than it was when we got to the mountains. It's only a hundred meters or so up before you get to solid footing, and there's a few good creases for climbing. Maybe even a few good jumps." Tyr pointed to certain spots he felt would help them ascend the sheer face.
"Yeah, it's fracking great. I'm so pleased. Can I have a rancor for a pet next?" Anya spat.
It hit Tyr. Not physically, but emotionally and logically. He wasn't sure what had happened to Anya, but this was not the same girl he had fallen for. He was not even sure he really fell for her anymore. He didn't care for the woman in front of him at all. He had no desire to help her, or do what she asked.
Somewhere underneath this person in front of him was a weak Sith who had learned how to project power that she didn't have as a defense mechanism of sorts. He had allowed her to take charge of him for companionship and for the sex. Not because she was better than him. She wasn't. Not one bit.
He turned to her, and in as calm as a voice as he could manage, he told her. It came out cold. "I don't know you. I don't want to know you. You're not Anya anymore. You've become something else while trying to be something bigger that you're not. I'm no longer amused or under your spell."
Anya's mouth opened, but no sound came out. In her mind, she wasn't sure how to react. Something snapped in Tyr, and he was set on something. Yell or beg, it didn't seem to manner anymore. She closed her mouth, and let him continue.
"We have minutes before the Jedi arrive. If that. I know that's not enough time to climb those walls. Probably not for me, and definitely not for you. I have no desire to save you." He paused to let it sink in for a few seconds. "Somewhere underneath though, is a girl who may or may not have been my lover at some point. What she definitely was... is part of a group of friends who would not let each other down. Her, I would like to save."
Anya's mouth was open again, but words were not there. She wasn't sure which of them was confused.
"I'm going to hold off the Jedi for you to get a head start up the mountain. I hope that after I've defeated the Jedi, I find the girl I am looking for, so we can all go back to our friends. We were stronger as a group than we are now that we are apart."
Anya ran. Tyr turned and looked down the canyon. The Jedi were coming, and he could feel it. This would be his finest moment.
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