Adept Kiana vs. Adept Cimozjen Kurios

Adept Kiana

Elder 1, Elder tier, Unaffiliated
Female Human, Jedi, Marauder
vs.

Adept Cimozjen Kurios

Elder 1, Elder tier, Clan Naga Sadow
Male Human, Sith, Sorcerer, Krath
Comment

Auto-close due to time out

Hall Scenario Hall
Messages 3 out of 4
Time Limit 7 Days
Battle Style Singular Ending
Battle Status Closed by Timeout
Combatants Adept Kiana, Adept Cimozjen Kurios
Force Setting Standard
Weapon Setting Standard
Adept Kiana's Character Snapshot Snapshot
Adept Cimozjen Kurios's Character Snapshot Snapshot
Venue [Scenario] Florrum: Map to a Pirate’s Treasure
Last Post 2 July, 2023 8:11 PM UTC
Member timing out Master Bentre Stahoes
Posts

florrum

The vast Doshar fields of Florrum combine two of the things the planet is known for, sulfurous geysers and desert. These are not the only threats adventurers face should they enter, for the deceptively quick Skalder make their home in the harsh environment. The large creatures are often spooked by the geysers and can be sent into a frenzy that could prove deadly to anyone who gets in their way. It is rumoured the Ohnaka Gang used these geysers to dispose of bodies of those who would dare attack them at their home.

The main point of interest is what appears to be a Clone Wars era wreckage and the ditch formed as it scraped along the ground during its final moments. The area is largely a vast, open, desert plain, with the geysers having some distance between them and scattered rocky outcrops littering the surrounding landscape.

You have come across a map, supposedly belonging to the famed pirate Hondo Ohnaka. The map is said to lead to a great treasure and you have decided to pursue it. After all, who doesn’t want to become rich? The map leads you to the sulfurous desert planet of Florrum, where Ohnaka and his gang once resided.

However, such treasure is rarely only sought by one person, You have come across another member, who also learned of the treasure and was able to arrive on Florrum. How you deal with them is up to you, but retrieving the treasure—whatever it may be—is of the utmost importance.

…a vault concealing treasure, a map from a knight, a desert world, an agent of the Sith will…help?..."

Recalling her vision, Kiana surveyed the landscape of Florrum as her starfighter powered down. She wasn't sure what it meant. She figured that the vault must be here. She had received a map from one of the Knights of Daragon, an organization she had learned that her brother was heavily involved in. It had led her to this desert world.

It was the last part that had confused her. She had seen what she interpreted to be a Sith, but they were not accompanied by a strong certainty of danger and she was not sure what to make of that. It was almost as if her vision meant they would be helpful somehow, but the Sith were after this treasure for themselves. It was rumored to be a Sith artifact, and supposedly one that agents of Naga Sadow might investigate soon. She had come to make sure it was not an artifact, and if it was, to destroy it. The Sith couldn't be helpful somehow, that couldn't be right.

Right? she asked herself silently.

The N-1 starfighter's canopy opened and acrid, sulfuric air flooded into it. Using the Force to leap out and land on the world's desert surface, Kiana held up her datapad and looked at the map she had brought. It indicated that the treasure - if there was one - was located in the large, wrecked Clone Wars-era shuttle nearby. In the distance beyond it, she could see geysers erupting intermittently, and a herd of the native wildlife. Her map also indicated the ruins of a pirate base nearby.

Investigating the shuttle, Kiana noticed a hull plate was almost broken off. She used her lightsaber to cut it away and she ducked inside. The inside of the shuttle was dark except for the glow of her lightsaber and streaks of light streaming in from holes in it's hull from where it had been damaged in the crash or rotted away through the years. She was able to easily investigate each room, but there were none large enough to contain the vault she saw in her vision, but the map had led her here.

Just as she was pondering what to do next, Kiana heard the distant whine of a ship's engines outside. Wondering who it could be, she stepped outside and was greeted by the sight of a Lambda-class shuttle landing some ways off from the wreck and her own ship. The ship had no obvious markings, which would mean it could be anyone, but she was concerned this might be agents of Naga Sadow come early.

Kiana put away her lightsaber and stood in front of the ramp of the shuttle as it lowered. She wasn't one for stealth, and if this was some poor Jedi Hunter sent out here for their Knight trial, she could deal with them easily enough. Even if it wasn't, they were far from Sadowan authority here, and she felt like she could deal with most known warriors of the clan if she had to. As long as they didn't send the Lion or the Alchemist she thought ruefully. But no, the first would not come in a regular shuttle from what she knew of him, and she was pretty sure the latter had not been seen in Sadowan space for quite some time.

When the ramp fully lowered, a pale-skinned man in Jedi armor and a long cloak stepped out. He certainly looked the part of the Sith Warrior of old, with his dark cloak and archaic armor. Further, she thought she recognized him. They had had a brief, unsettled encounter on Sepros once.

"Cimozjen, imagine seeing you here."

"Kiana," he replied. Was that a hint of surprise? "I expected I might find treasure here, but not a rogue such as yourself. We had unsettled business…" his hand dropped to his waist where Kiana was sure a lightsaber hung under the cloak.

She crossed her arms instead of moving for her own weapon. She hadn't been able to find the treasure on her own. She could use assistance - for the moment at least. "I'm not interested in a fight right now. I'm guessing you're here for the treasure?" she asked. At his nod, she continued "I already looked in the wreckage and didn't find anything, but maybe you would see something I didn't. I propose we work together for the time being."

Cimozjen spent a few moments thinking it over and finally his hand moved away from his lightsaber. "That will do for now," he said. "You mentioned you did not find anything?" He moved toward the wreckage. "You'll forgive me if I don't take that for face value."

"See for yourself," she said to his back as he entered the shuttle. She followed, hoping the man would see something that she didn't. "Help from a Sith indeed," she muttered.

Something felt deeply wrong about all this. His dreams were frustratingly vague sometimes, and Kiana had not been a part of his vision. He tried to soothe his unease, closing his eyes and taking account of the life around them. He stood in the shuttle, trying to parse via the Force.

Despite the rough appearance of Florrum, he felt more than he had initially expected. He sensed some wild life out there, and though it was spread out in clumps they seemed to be giving the wreckage and his companion some space. At least, enough that he felt little concern.

Was companion the right term for Kiana? He shook his head, pushing the thought aside and delving deeper into the sensations. His mind brushed against a mind somewhere out in the distance. He felt desire, a least a few kilometers away. It was too focused to be an animal.

He opened his eyes with a sigh. His eyes took a moment to focus with the aid of the exterior light. The interior was carefully sweeping his gaze over the interior of the shuttle. Nothing seemed terribly out of place here. There were no tracks that seemed out of place. Nothing here hinted or alluded to anything like a prize that he might return to the Overlord of Naga Sadow.

He turned his head to look at Kiana, and almost immediately winced. It was almost like looking at a painfully distorted self-image. Here, she was in a way the very image of a Jedi Knight, down to even her robes and demeanor. She too was a seeker, much like he was. Had she had not encountered the greater darkness that was the galaxy? Or had she done so and come out better than he?

"What do you think, little lightling?" He did not turn to regard her, pushing his feelings down as he tilted his head towards her. "I have dreams and visions that guide this hapless traveler, but you must have some greater insight." He knelt down to touch the floor of the shuttle, thinking. His fingers stroked the floor plates, and he let his focus on the Force around him slip away for a moment as he focused on the material beneath his fingertips. As he reached out again, he allowed his senses to ripple from his point of contact, gaining impressions of the vessel itself.

Though a wreck now, it had once been a place of life. Flashes of past events, of battles lost to history. Some years the wreckage being left alone to rot. The treasure lie buried, forgotten, pulsating with an almost living energy. The vision was as confusing as it was unclear. Intruders entering the wreckage. "Someone was here." Removal and a feeling of alienation. The feeling of unease grew as the sound of engines roaring overhead grew in pitch.

"Were you expecting anyone else here? Did you tell anyone else you were out here!?"

"No!" Kiana showed him both palms briefly before turning out of she shuttle, her hand falling naturally to her weapon as she shaded her eyes against the harsh sunlight. The Sorcerer joined her, his face twisted in a scowl. Arcing through the sky was a form that Cimozjen could only recall having seen in historical holos.

Though under the grime and wear, it barely resembled one of the old Clone Wars era troop transports, the vessel had an E-Web bolted so a single gunner could sweep over the sandy terrain. Three equally ratty-looking beings were also hunkered down within the scant safety that the flying deathtrap offered.

"I hope you have something more than that lightsaber," the man snarled as he ducked own in hopes of going unspotted. "Because I suspect we might have found our thieves."

Suddenly, something clicked into place for Kiana. An agent of the Sith will help. The words floated through her mind, and she knew Cimozjen was that agent, and the moment was now. She had absolute confidence that she was safe. There might not have been a way for Kiana to bring down the transport, but her companion, on the other hand…

"I need no other weapon than my lightsaber. The Force guides all things…" she trailed off. She didn't hide. If anything, she stepped more out into the open. She knew her stark white outfit would stand out against the dusty brown surface of Florrum. She was counting on it.

Kiana raised her lightsaber and ignited the weapon, ice blue blade instantly springing to life. Holding it defensively across her body, she heard a quiet curse from Cimozjen as the transport circled to give the gunner a clear shot. Kiana closed her eyes for a moment and breathed deeply, feeling absolutely at peace when she opened them again.

The transport's firing arc wasn't hard to follow. Big, heavy E-Web bolts screamed toward her, but despite their added weight and intensity still deflected off her lightsaber blade. She turned and maintained her defensive shield as the transport made a low pass overhead, not caring where the bolts from the E-Web went as long as they did not hit her or Cimozjen. Suddenly, there was a loud crack sound. It echoed through Kiana's skull and she saw Cimozjen aiming a slugthrower at the transport. Grinning a bit and shouting to be heard over the ringing in her ears, Kiana yelled "aim just below the black square on the port engine!"

There was another loud crack and this time it was followed by a distant boom. A second passed before smoke began to trail behind the transport. It veered lazily off to one side and slowly descended toward the surface as the pilot failed to maintain control of the craft.

Kiana gave Cimozjen a satisfied nod as he lowered his slugthrower. "Good teamwork," she said cheerfully.

There was a distant thud as the transport crashed to the surface some distance off. Dust rose high into the air, but there was no explosion. "If you want to call it that," Cimozjen answered. "Looked more like you had a death wish."

Peering into the distance, Kiana said, as if by mantra "The Force is with me and I am one with the Force." She turned to Cimozjen. "It's about trust."

'If you say so, lightling" Cimozjen said. "Let's go check out the transport. After you." He gestured with the slugthrower.

Kiana grimaced and kept her lightsaber ignited as she led the way to the crashed transport. Once she glanced back over her shoulder and Cimozjen had his slugthrower pointed toward her back. She didn't sense any immediate danger from him, but it was hard to tell with these Sith types.

It was a short trip, but while they were walking she silently considered Cimozjen and whether she would end up having to fight him or if they would become allies. She could sense the dark side in him; he didn't make any effort to hide it. So far, though, he had seemed rational and less random and destructive than Sadowans were usually known for. That made her trust - a little bit. There was still the matter of the artifact. If it was some tool that could bring more darkness to the galaxy, could she convince Cimozjen to leave it or destroy it, rather than return it to Naga Sadow? She hoped he would see the bigger picture if that turned out to be the case.

Finally, they arrived at the transport. There was one motionless figure slumped over the controls in the pilot's cockpit, but the others were nowhere to be found.

"How many beings did you see earlier?" Kiana asked, slowly stepping in a circle around the crash.

"More than one," Cimozjen replied. He was circling the other side.

Suddenly there was a click and the sound of a small rocket engine. Cimozjen shouted "watch out!" just before a portable missile struck the transport and it exploded.

Kiana threw herself to the ground to avoid being hit by debris, hoping Cimozjen was okay. At least, it seemed, they had found the survivors. She hoped they had the artifact as well.