The Fourteenth Great Jedi War left deep wounds across the surface of Arx. One such victim, unnoticed by the Brotherhood at large, was the Corrino Research Laboratory on the marshy continent of Uskil. The Collective had assaulted the Shadow Academy's Nesolat platform to gain access to the surface of Arx, its strategic importance dwarfing its role as an isolated research facility. When the battle moved to the planet's surface, the Nesolat was discarded like so much chaff, and debris from the disintegrating station was scattered across the planet.

Some of that debris struck the specimen habitat, damaging them enough for the specimens contained within to escape into Uskil’s swampy wilderness. In the aftermath of the invasion, playing animal control was a low priority for the Iron Throne, but the beasts became more of a nuisance—and even a danger—as time went on. Their exposure to the maelstrom of Force energies around Uskil, stirred up by the Grand Master’s ritual during the invasion, has made the creatures aggressive and unpredictable.

Rather than wandering Uskil’s swampy, storm-soaked wildlands, many of the escaped beasts have since returned to their ruined habitats, finding the climate more to their liking; it was designed for them, after all. They’ve since become extremely territorial, attacking any Shadow Academy staff who try to remove them so the habitats can be rebuilt. Rather than continue to delay the Academy’s research and sacrifice hapless construction workers and lab technicians, the Headmistress has put out a call to any members of the Brotherhood who are willing to help with the problem.

Your goal in this scenario is to subdue and capture the hostile creature so that it can be transported to a different facility for further testing. As the creature has been modified by the Academy’s scientists, the Headmistress would strongly prefer that you capture it alive, rather than killing it and forcing the researchers to make do with data from a dead specimen.

It was days like today that Lucine Vasano was glad that she preferred to wear sensible boots while out on missions. It never failed that her work for the Clan would take her to a place that was inhospitable for the footwear of her choice.

This mission was certainly no exception. "The things I do to lead by example," she said with a sigh as she sloshed through the swampland that surrounded the Corrino Research Laboratory. Much of the area was submerged beneath several inches of brackish water that made it impossible to see the bottom. She felt the waterlogged muck sucking against her boots with every step, and was suddenly very glad that she had not worn heels.

"Is that why you insisted on coming along? Leading by example?" Aiden Lee Deshra asked as he waded a few feet ahead of her. His tone was distracted, as he was carefully observing for any signs of sudden drop-offs beneath the water.

"Of course, darling," Lucine replied. "The Headmistress seemed very keen for us to help, especially considering just how many of the Shadow Academy's artifacts went missing during the defense of the Nesolat Platform. If helping out here gets our clan into her good graces, then so be it. And of course, I would never ask anyone to do anything that I am unwilling to do."

“Hmm,” was Aiden’s only reply. The Proconsul had a habit of lapsing into silence whenever he was concentrating deeply, and now seemed to be one of those times.

Lucine fought the urge to roll her eyes. Aiden was not her first choice for Proconsul, but he was the most politically expedient one. He was well known for his adherence to balance, both with regard to the Force and in his own life. His appointment was intended to lull the more paranoid members of Arcona into a sense of safety, and give Lucine a little more room to accomplish her goals.

But that meant that she actually had to work with him. While they managed to muddle along with the professional relationship they had, Lucine wanted them to be able to function better as a team. Teaming up to defeat a dangerous foe seemed like an excellent way to improve their working relationship.

The first step was to actually find their foe. They wove their way between the gnarled grey trees that had managed to grow despite the waterlogged ground. The thick, moss-draped branches created a heavy canopy that obscured the sky and created murky greenish-black shadows that could hide dangerous predators.

Lucine and Aiden continued inland, making their way toward the lab. Gradually the pools of brackish water became smaller and smaller until it gave way to soggy land. Conversation between them was sparse, so much so that Lucine began to wonder how much value the mission was going to have in her efforts to gain some sort of rapport with Aiden.

Just as the thought was starting to occur to her, Aiden held up a hand to tell her to stop. His eyes were narrowed, focusing intently on something in front of them. Lucine scanned the thick undergrowth until she finally found what he was looking at.

It was a large quadruped with a large serrated beak which was red with blood. A mane of thick black feathers draped its neck and shoulders, while the rest of its body was covered in shorter grey ones. Each foot ended in long and wickedly sharp talons.

The mastiff phalone sensed them at the same time and whipped its head up to regard them with its small golden eyes. It opened its beak wide and hissed at them aggressively as it crouched over its prey, some sort of half-eaten furry mammal.

The mastiff phalone darted forward a few steps, lashing its head toward them as it screeched a challenge. Aiden drew himself up into a duelist’s stance, but the mastiff phalone’s threatening maneuver did not put it close enough to attack. Lucine, meanwhile, drew her blaster, took aim and fired a shot. She missed, and the blue rings of energy merely seared into the ground a few feet in front of the avian predator. It jerked back and hissed once again, before whipping around and disappearing into the undergrowth.

“Nice shooting,” Aiden said wryly as he relaxed his posture.

“Do not forget, darling, we need to take that creature alive,” Lucine retorted.

“I’m pretty sure that was just a strong suggestion,” Aiden said dryly. “After all, the Headmistress couldn’t even tell us how the mastiff phalones were modified.”

Lucine sighed and shook her head. She pulled her datapad from a pocket of her cloak and checked their position. “Well, I suppose we will find out soon enough. It appears we are getting close to its habitat.”

“Oh, great. Which means we’ll probably find the rest of its pack there.”

The redhead offered him a sweet smile. “Something to look forward to, I think. Shall we?”

Aiden could hardly hide his annoyance. It was bad enough that he was working to fix the Dark Councils' mistake with hunting down these beasts, but he also had to protect the Consul who pushed so hard to be on this assignment with him. It wasn't that he disliked the woman. Far from it, he had a level of respect for the diplomatically inclined leader of Arcona. But this was dangerous territory, and he'd rather not have his attention diverted to keeping her out of danger. In a fight, one's focus should be singular, one's mission the priority.

The Proconsul kept his eyes peeled and his sense attuned. There was no way of knowing what changes had been done to these avians. The last one had seemed far more violent and fast than others he'd dealt with in the past. As they were Arcona's top leadership, neither he nor Lucine could afford to die on this assignment; ergo, he would fight to stay alive first and capture these creatures second.

Soon enough, the remains of the lab were found. The durasteel walls were riddled with cracks and holes from the damage it had sustained. Aiden observed the tracks along the ground leading to a wall with a hole reasonably high up. Talon marks carved up the structure's side, roughly three meters, leading up to the opening.

"It looks like the creature went in there. Probably heading back to its habitat and flock." He said as he looked over the scenery.

"The creature is avian. It could make it up into that opening," Lucine regarded as she touched the scratched up siding. She looked relieved to finally be getting out of the swamplands. "Now, how do we get up there to follow?"

Aiden didn't speak. He pulled a black and silver curved hilt off of his belt and activated his lightsaber. With a screech, a silvery blade extended from the end of the emitter. He thrust the lightsaber into the wall, the plasmic heat of the saber melting through the durasteel like butter. He carved the blade upwards until it reached the hole broken into the wall. Moving to the opposite side of the opening, he did the same.

Disengaging his lightsaber, he motioned for Lucine to step back, and as he moved away from the structure, he reached out his organic hand and concentrated. The loud sound of screaming metal bombarded the air around them as the Force pulled at the durasteel. The metal bent backward, and slowly, the wall curved back like a drawbridge for the two the walk into the facility.

Lucine motioned for Aiden to lead the way, and as he did, they found themselves walking into an artificial habitat. Going from a swamp into a plains area with tall grass would've been a shock if they hadn't known that this facility was designed for this.

"I don't like this," Aiden said as they made their way into the grassland. "They could come at us from any angle in here. Perhaps we wait for them to come back out elsewhere?"

"You're not afraid, are you darling? And here I thought you were one of Arcona's elite fighters." Lucine playfully jabbed at her underling.

"Lucine, I am serious. We are sitting ducks in here."

After a few seconds, Lucine sighed and nodded her head. "Perhaps your right. This does seem to be a tad suicidal at this point. What's your plan then?"

"Well, we should…" Aiden didn't get a chance to finish his thought as a loud screech followed by a heavy force barreled into him. A mastiff had him knocked off his feet, and his flesh and bone arm was caught under its taloned paw. Aiden grabbed the creature's neck as it began snapping at his face, holding the phalone's head back. However, the beast was strong, and he wouldn't be able to hold it back for long.

Lucine pulled out her WESTAR 34 - blaster pistol and fired at the creature's hind legs, not wanting to kill it. The silent bolt hit its mark, causing the avian to yell out in pain as it backed off Aiden's downed form. Now that he was free, the man reached his hand out at the retreating beast pulling through the Force. The mastiff tried to run, but it began to float a bit off the ground. Its talons simply dug at the dirt.

"Now! Stun it!" the Proconsul shouted out at his superior.

Lucine switched her blaster to stun mode and took aim at the Force held phalone. She pulled the trigger and blue energy rings shot from the barrel. As they hit their target, the mastiff stopped moving, successfully knocked out.

"Well," Lucine started as she looked over to her partner. "That's one down and still alive, I might add."

"I wouldn't celebrate just yet, Vasano." Aiden's eyes were hard-pressed forward, looking into the long grass.

"Why not?" she asked, a hint of concern lacing her melodic voice.

"Because we're being hunted."

Lucine hastily turned in the direction that Aiden was looking, scanning for threats. Fortunately, there was no breeze in the enclosure. It allowed her to more easily see the areas where the grass parted as something close to the ground passed through it. “How many?” she murmured as she glanced again at the unconscious creature at her feet to make sure that it was truly subdued.

Aiden’s eyes narrowed in concentration as he shifted his focus to view their surroundings through his link with the Force. Ordinarily, it was as simple as breathing. But his arm throbbed with pain from where the mastiff phalone’s talons had cut into his flesh, making it more difficult to concentrate. Absently, he flexed and relaxed his hand as he increased his focus. “Five? No, six,” he said. “Including one behind—”

As if on cue, the avian creature that had circled around to cut off their escape stepped into view. It gave a low, clicking growl, its serrated beak held open in a threatening gesture as it stood in the middle of the opening Aiden had made.

“Charming. So this one,” Lucine lightly tapped the unconscious mastiff phalone, “was a distraction or an attempt to test our defenses. And that one,” she gestured toward the creature blocking their path, “is a second distraction allowing the others to get close. And there are three others in the grass surrounding us. Does that sum up our situation?” As she spoke, she holstered her blaster and unclipped her lightsaber from her belt.

“I’d say so,” Aiden replied through gritted teeth. He glanced down at his wounds and grimaced. “And it gets worse.”

“How could it possibly get worse?”

The Proconsul held up his hand. There were small cuts in his arm from when the mastiff phalone had pinned his arm to the ground, its talons cutting into his flesh. The skin around the cuts was an angry shade of red, and the blood vessels leading away from the wounds had taken on a deep grey color. “I believe they were modified to have poisoned claws.”

“Oh, lovely,” Lucine grumbled. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the shapes in the tall grass drawing steadily closer, closing the trap. Behind them, the mastiff phalone that was blocking their escape hissed and snapped at them, trying to push them further away from the entrance and closer to the grass.

Then, as if by some invisible signal, all of the mastiff phalones attacked at once. White and green lightsabers flared to life in tandem as both Force users fell into defensive positions. The first carnivore to reach them was the one that was blocking the exit. Aiden lashed out with a duelist’s strike, severing the beast’s head from its body. But the effort caused him to stumble as the poison coursed through his system. “This is going to be more challenging than I thought,” he panted, marveling at how hot he suddenly felt.

The Force screamed a warning at Lucine and she ducked out of the way, barely avoiding getting caught by the claws of a charging mastiff phalone. A second one struck moments later in what was clearly a coordinated attack. She whirled her lightsaber in a defensive maneuver, and the green plasma sliced neatly through the beast’s extended claw, severing it entirely.

Aiden and Lucine stood back to back as the carnivores circled them, hissing and snapping their wickedly sharp beaks at them. The pack tactics were on clear display. Multiple attacks from multiple directions would quickly bring them down if they did not finish this fight quickly.

“Well, darling, it seems that they are attacking us from all sides,” Lucine said.

“Told you so,” Aiden panted, trying to ignore the sweat dripping from his brow. “I have an idea. Can you keep them off me?”

“Of course, darling!” Lucine said, with more confidence than she actually felt. She drew upon her fear at the prospect of being killed on this miserable slimeball of a planet, and her anger, and her frustration, and all of the other negative emotions that fueled her. She focused all of that emotion into the palm of her hand, which she thrust out toward the creature she had just wounded and one other. It manifested into energy, tongues of green electricity that arced over the mastiff phalones, drawing shrieks of pain from the creatures.

The effect was immediate, for both parties. Both of the creatures dropped to the ground. Lucine, meanwhile, felt exhaustion immediately set in. But she forced her now sluggish limbs to move as she pivoted and lashed out with her lightsaber, thrusting the blade into the chest of the mastiff phalone that was leaping toward Aiden.

While she was doing this, her Proconsul had not been idle. The poison raging through his system made even regularly used powers difficult. It took nearly all of his concentration to draw upon the Force. His breath came to him in short gasps as he felt his power building until her could hold it no longer. With a cry, he released his power on the largest of the mastiff phalones.

It shrieked suddenly as a primal terror struck its bestial mind, and immediately turned and fled. The remaining mastiff phalone jumped back, avoiding Lucine’s attack as it turned to see it’s alpha flee. If followed with no hesitation, leaving the rest of the dead and injured of the pack behind.

“We did it!” Lucine cheered, though her jubilation was muted by her exhaustion. A heavy thud was her only reply. She turned to see the body of her Proconsul sprawled in the dirt. “Oh no! You are not allowed to die, I forbid it!”

Lucine moved to Aiden's side and rolled his body over. He was barely conscious, letting out weak, ragged breaths. The poison was seemingly fast-acting, something she was sure Rhylance would have appreciated working on. The thought of her lover brought her to Aiden's arm. She wasn't much of a doctor, but she'd been exposed to many of her Chiss's experimentations.

Ripping open the Proconsuls shirt, Lucine examined the claw marks. The skin around them bubbled from the poison.

"Rhylance, where are you when I need you?" she asked under her breath. Aiden was in too much pain to fully notice.

Placing her hands on his arm, Lucine called out to the Force. She channeled the energy into Aiden's wounds, hoping to stall the poison, even for a short time. Anything to give her Proconsul a better chance at survival. It wasn't a matter of caring for the man. She just didn't have the patience to train a new one.

Exhaustion began to wash over her. She could see the bubbling flesh settle, the wounds beginning to close. As her hands began to shake from overextending herself, she let go of the man's arm and exhaled a breath she didn't know she was holding. Sweat dripped from her brow, a feeling she didn't gladly take upon herself.

Aiden's breath was less ragged. His chest rose mostly naturally, and he seemed to be in less pain. Lucine dropped to a sitting position. She wasn't sure she'd be able to stand without a rest. Using her abilities had left her in a state worse than she'd hoped. She brought her arm up and initiated a link with her wrist communication device.

"This is Consul Vasano, requesting immediate evacuation. Repeat, we need immediate evacuation."

There was no response on the other end. All she got back was static.

"Blast it!" She didn't like this. They were out in the open. Exposed. And the mastiffs could be back at any time. "Come on, Deshra, you have to get up. We're like sitting wamp rats out here."

Aiden weakly opened his eyes and tried to push himself up. The poison was obviously still in his system, even if weakened. Pushing himself up, Aiden grasped Lucine's hand, and she helped him to his feet. He wobbled slightly but took a few steps with her help.

"The job... it's not over yet." He wheezed.

"For us, I think it is darling. Neither one of us can do much as we are, and if we don't get out of here, you won't be around much longer."

"Heh…" Aiden chuckled slightly. "I didn't realize that you cared so much."

"Trust me, darling, if I thought I could run this clan without a Proconsul, I'd have left you back there and gotten myself out. Unfortunately, not everyone trusts me. And the ones that don't, well, they seem to trust you. As much as I hate to admit it, I need you." Lucine was not happy to make that admission. She looked as though she'd just swallowed soap, and her narrowed eyes betrayed her steady voice.

"Getting to hear you speak such lovely words... it's a perk of the job," Aiden replied sarcastically as he struggled to keep walking.

The two kept moving, stopping every few minutes to let Aiden catch his breath. Soon enough, they found the hole they had come through. Lucine tried again to call for help.

"This is Consul Vasano, Requesting immediate evacuation. Repeat, we need immediate evacuation. Can anyone hear me?"

"Lucine...can you... what's your position?"

The voice that came through was barely intelligible. There was interference on the comms, but she could make out part of the message. She used her wrist communicator to send out a message with her location on it. Her only hope was that the message would be received.

"Come on, Aiden, we're almost there."

Aiden took a few steps towards the opening before turning back to Lucine. As he did, his eyes went wide, and he pushed his hand out with all the strength that he had left. Lucine found herself knocked to the ground by an invisible push just as a phalone rushed past her and tackled Aiden out through the opening.

The second phalone jumped at her prone form, but the Consul pulled out her trusted dagger that was strapped to her leg. As the beast reached her, she thrust the blade into its chest and twisted. The phalone let out a pained wail before dropping prone onto the woman. Pushing against its body, Lucine crawled her way out from beneath it, blood covering her clothes.

"Oh crap, Aiden!"

Standing up and breathing heavily, she walked towards the opening. Looking through it, she saw the mastiff standing above Aidens prone, unmoving form. Its beak dripped with fresh blood. Lucine was angry, angrier than she'd been in a long time. Her teeth gritted as a near growl left her throat. The mastiff crouched, ready to charge. The Consul could feel the power in her fingers building. Electricity buzzed at their tips.

As the creature dashed forward, aiming to kill this last pest, Lucine threw her hands up, lightning bursting forth as her eyes blazed yellowish-orange. The mastiff shook in pain, screeching loudly as the electricity coursed throughout its body. The lightning lasted only a few seconds before dying at Lucine's fingers. The alpha phalone mastiff looked absolutely terrified by the attack, and though it shook from the residual charge within its body, it turned tail and ran into the swamplands.

Lucine collapsed to the ground, well and thoroughly drained. Her body rolled down the ramp-like bridge Aiden had created earlier until she came to a stop next to him. Through blurry eyes, she couldn't see if he was breathing or not, but the growing puddle of blood was not looking well for the Proconsul.

"Lucine, can you read me. We are almost at your position."

The only thing that she could think before passing out was that it was about time for them to get there. Darkness took her. When help finally arrived, they found her lying next to the lifeless corpse of Aiden Lee Deshra.