Open Terrain

By the time shots were fired on the ship, Dante and Monte were already far away, tracing the line that was the force drawing it to its home. monte also was storing all of the info on a special hard drive instead of in his brain. with any luck, it would take a couple of hours to pick up the trail of the jedi heading to the cave.

*Sleep...how could someone sleep in a time like this? For Dante, used to the pressures and stresses of this life - it was something that came easily to him. More than this though, it allowed Dante time to think...time to calculate. He was an credited duelist - he had killed many force users and other capable warriors during his time; because of this, he didn't fear the dark ones pursuing them. More, he wanted to engage them...in an indirect manner - stealth, misdirection, adaptation...these were the forte's that his master Arcturus had taught him. Styles and techniques that Dante had taken close attention to indeed.

In the end, It would only be a matter of time before the dark ones sensed Diamonte's force use. Or, alternatively, the force aura that came off the artifact itself. Indeed, an ancient force crystal, the broken fragments of the crystal - while weak - would beckon for attention. Their foes would be smart indeed to seek out the fragments - especially with it being the only other lead to the treasure besides themselves.

Plans swirled in Dante's head....*

*A rough shake woke up Dante, and he darkly looked up at Diamonte - who informed him they would need to move soon if they wished to avoid the force user. In this though, Dante saw opportunity. Standing, Dante quickly made his way to where Diamonte had been sitting, and gathered all the shards to himself. Quickly he walked to the rear of the ship to the power core - an assembly that used a combination of power cells and solid fuels to produce energy for the ship. Farther back in the ship, was the engine room. Taking the pieces, Dante slipped them into his pocket, before crouching down and removing one of the panels off the power core. Cables and flashing lights assaulted him...but they were familiar to Dante. Why wouldn't they? He had been surrounded by machines from an early age...and he was familiar with power sources from his early days of weapon building.

Taking a hold of one particular bulky cable - the positive flow regulator - he detached it from the primary power assembly, and attached it to the negative flow coupler. The ship being powered down, the procedure was relatively safe. Next, he stood walked to a nearby light fixture; being a starship power saving was a priority, with the majority of the lights being automatic - motion activated in other words. Ripping the unit out of the wall, he took the fixture and set it next to the panel, being careful to remove the primary circuit breaker from the panel (one breaker out of many relays mind you.). Taking the fixture, he tied in one of the wires to the power junction bypass, and the secondary to the ignition breaker. A little creative wiring with the light-fixtures reserve power cell (typically used in emergency situations for E-lights) and you had a motion activated relayed which could turn the ships primary power on and off...

Of course, since the circuit breaker had been removed, the motion in the room would do nothing until Dante used the console in the cockpit (running off emergency power) to reroute primary generator relays from primary to secondary. Upon which, motion in the room would catch the motion sensory to trip the circuit, activating the generator, and sending power from the regulator into the coupling, creating a - followed quickly by a violent explosion of shrapnel and fuel. Powerful enough to rip the ship apart.*



*The ship shook violently, and there was an explosion farther back in the ship, knocking Dante onto his back. The engines had been targeted by something it seemed. There was no time to act - scrabbling to his feet, Dante took the pieces out of his pocket, and quickly shoved them inside the generators resonance tubing - an affair that required one stick their entire arm inside of the generator, and would be extremely difficult to get out├óÔé¼┬ªforce or not. Ripping his arm out, he replaced the panel, and secured the latches - then RAN to the front of the ship.*

"Diamonte - lets go!"

*He paused in the cockpit, quickly tapping out instructions on the console. While the primary generator was down, engines, comms, life support, and all major ship systems would be off line. The secondary emergency generator was for avionics and software interface while the primary generator was down (how else would you get diagnostics when the ship was cold?) quickly, he tapped in a series of commands, rerouting activation for the primary generator to "Manual aux 2", that is manual terminal (the panel he had been working on) and circuit two (which the light now provided). Turning to Diamonte, Dante opened the side hatch of the ship.*

"Don't go into the back - the ship will explode. Can you draw on the force for speed? From the sound of the blast, they hit our engines├óÔé¼┬ªI doubt with our shields down they survived."

*He was guessing of course, he hadn't had time to look at anything else on the console - but it was logical that they hadnt. Silently, he began drawing on the force├óÔé¼┬ªsuffusing it into his body.*

*The Sith Marauder, Fowrawn, watched as the rippling effect of his destructive pass over the landed Freighter reaped the intended results. Small fires raged out of control as the ship, clearly disabled. From his vantage point on the top of the hill overlooking the valley where they had landed Fowrawn watched as his quarry fled the scene. The two Jedi sped off into the distance of the fading light, their strength and speed enhanced by the flows of the Force. A pity considering he would have liked to end the hunt here and now. Instead, he would hunt.

Returning back to his Sith Fighter, Fowrawn retrieved a pack and slung it over his shoulders, preparing himself for the long hunt to come.*

as we speed on i feel the faint trail get more familiar. the marker of the system leads me towards the cliff face far on the horizon. knowing that it would make a tasty target for the two targets to remain, i elect a secondary plan. I may not have a huge chance, but if this works... i may gain something more valuable than crystals.

"Dante, i have a plan, but for it to work i need you to trust me... What is your comm frequency? we are splitting up. you take the shards, and continue toward the cavern... the one in the cliff face three cliks in the distance. I am going to double back and see if i can't ... Signal for some reinforcements."

Once the code was transfered, i bided my time until there was a natural fork in the road... if my plan worked i would be able to double back while Dante would head toward the cavern... the man was smart... perhaps he would not need me to get to the door open... and hopefully my lie would cause the warrior to go after Dante... and not me.

[narration:fxacvgbg]Dante hopped out of the ship, and gathered the force into himself; he was a Matukai, capable of drawing on the force for extreme physical ability - in sacrifice of all other force use. His feet hitting the sand, he saw Diamonte take off in a force speed...and silently Dante shook his head.[/narration:fxacvgbg]

"Flighty Jedi isn't he."

[action:fxacvgbg]Shaking his head, Dante bounded after Diamonte, drawing on the force heavier than he usually had to in order to keep up.[/action:fxacvgbg]

[quote:fxacvgbg]"Dante, i have a plan, but for it to work i need you to trust me... What is your comm frequency? we are splitting up. you take the shards, and continue toward the cavern... the one in the cliff face three cliks in the distance. I am going to double back and see if i can't ... Signal for some reinforcements."
[/quote:fxacvgbg]

[action:fxacvgbg]Dante coughed slightly.[/action:fxacvgbg]

"I uh, I left the shards in the ship, next to the generator...nasty little trap for our friends. As for the codes, 434343sub8. Good luck with your reinforcements!"

[action:fxacvgbg]PERFECT. A chance to throw his pursuers off his trail.Veering to the left, Dante headed to the cave, and upon entering it, focussed on burying the force in himself, smothering the energies presence. It took several seconds - and by no means was instantaneous, but eventually the buried presence masked his force signature - and himself - from view. Unholstering his blaster from his hip, he flicked the pistols undermounted glow point on, and shone it through the cave


...already he was seeing several possibilities.[/action:fxacvgbg]

*It hadn't taken Darth Fowrawn, the intimidating Sith Marauder sent after Dante and Diamonte in search of their Sith relic, to find the tracks of each Jedi as they had fled his sight earlier in the day. The heavy sun hung low in the sky, the precious hours of daylight on Vandelhelm slowly fading. Either he would have to double his search efforts and recover the knowledge of the relic from one of the two Jedi, or he would have to procure a location to rest the night and return in the morning to continue his search for the cowards.* *Shrugging the pack over his shoulders to better regain the feeling of being comfortable, Fowrawn scanned the patch of soil at his feet for any signs of tracks of the fleeing Jedi Knights.*

*Finally, a break. There in front of him were two separate tracks - one heading left, the other right. Each of them split off in a different direction, attempting to confuse the Sith. Rising to his feet, the Sith dropped the pack in the center brush, hiding it from view. Choosing the left path, the one he decided would be the most correct of two, Fowrawn charged down looking and searching continuously.*

*It had taken about four minutes...but he eventually came to the other side of the cave; the cave burrowed into the cliff, took a sharp rise and a wicked turn, and eventually deposited you at the top of the cliff.*

"Lovely."

*He had several things at his disposal...several. But first and foremost...was the fact the Sith was following him instead of Diamonte. Or at least he thought he was. With his force presence buried, he wasnt able to expand his feelings - but he would still be able to sense the force passively. He hadnt felt any waves of anger or of pain...he could only assume that either A) Diamonte had slipped by unoticed and the Sith was searching for him, or B) that he was on Dante's trail. Paranoia ruled supreme; he had to be on his own trail. Because of this, Dante decided to use the cover of darkness to move...

And move he did; Matukai had the advantage physically, being able to draw on the force and suffuse it into their bodies, they were able to move with extreme speed, agility, and dexterity for hours at a time without tiring. As such, while not as fast a force speed - Dante moved across the ground at a far greater pace than was naturally possible...and tired he was not. There would come a time when he would tire though...the goal was to reach his objective before that though.

Quickly, silently, he doubled back the way he had come - this time far to the east, making a wide circular loop back towards the shuttle. If he met up with Diamonte, it may be possible to slip by the Sith undetected...and with his force presence buried, and with night covering them...that may very well be possible. For now at least.*

*The day was hot, the cave was hot...and Dante...well, he was hot. From within the cave, a dull thump, and a concussive wave of air pushed Dante a few steps back, but never the less he trudged forward. Slowly, he slipped out of his buried presence, and spread out with his senses. The Jedi had abandoned him. Typical. But ahead, was a potential ally.

Plans swirled in his head...plots began to form, and Dante saw an alternative that was hidden from him before. A little faster now, a little more confident, he rounded the bend in the cave where the Sith was located. He called out to the creature, enticing him to hold for a moment.*

"Greetings, mighty Sith. As I'm sure your aware, the oh so mighty jedi has abandoned me. This being so, I am enamored to help you. If only to be a thorn in the Jedi's side." *Dante held his hands out to his side, gesturing.* "It is true I am a force user - I'm sure you've sensed it. But, I do not concern myself with the affairs of Jedi and Sith; your fight is not my own, and I have no quarrel with you or whomever you serve. Rather, I am in the market for simple profit...the store you seek is supposedly a great repository of Knowledge. Not least among them, are artifacts of Sith design - interspersed with them are trinkets of value to me, but of little concern to you and your master, of whom I'm sure, is a sentient of no small means. Within myself is the means to lead you to this vault of information - you could perhaps force it out of myself, but, lets be honest...we both know Id take this entire cave down on our heads before that would happen. Or, alternatively, being the owner of this miserable piece of rock, id call in the planets military, and have fifty thousand troops combing the mountains for you rock by rock. So...lets make things easy for a change. You get your artifacts, I get my trinkets, we shake proverbial hands, say adieu and good business, and part ways. Aye?"

Darth Fowrawn

*In all of his rage and anger, Fowrawn remained where he stood against Dante, the Jedi's accomplice throughout the hunt for the storehouse of ancient relics lost here in Vandelhelm. The bare chested Trandoshan disengaged his dual Sith Lightsabers, his breath ragged and savage. Waves of dark sided energy flashed out from his very core as he suffered from the ending effects of a powerful use of Force Rage. The final effects found themselves excreted from Fowrawn before he reattached the Lightsabers to his hip, for the time being at least - or so he thought. He listened to the man's proposal. It was true, his background information on the pair revealing everything the man had said true. He was no fan of either Jedi or the Sith. In this case, he had simply stumbled on the case of the artifacts and wished to move them to his own personal vault. It just so happened the Jedi Operative - now long gone and fled the scene once he had made himself known, had wanted the artifacts pertaining to the Jedi Order in the Orders possession, yet Fowrawn would now see each artifact destroyed the moment his eyes fell upon them.

He remained stoic and quiet throughout Dante's speech, and only after a few moments of awkward silence between the both of them, he spoke. His voice was like sandpaper, raspy and coarse. It was obvious speaking basic was not his natural tongue and that he struggled to form coherent sentences that made little sense.* "Your points are validate, human. I will leave Vandelhelm in peace should you provide to me the artifacts of the Sith. You may have all other non-Jedi related items, those I do not care for. The relics of the Jedi are mine to dispose of, the ones of my people - are to be sent to a location I deem."

"Agreed."

*An uneasy truce was agreed upon - the duo returned to the downed shuttle, and Dante deactivated the trap he had set - though more than once, he considered setting it off to try and kill the creature - eventually, with the trap disarmed, Dante reassembled the shattered fragments of the crystal. Combined, the fragments yearned towards a specific direction - a kind of compass of sorts. And so the trek began - the duo followed the compass for several miles, to the face of a jagged cliff, there, they placed the crystal against the cliff into a kind of key hole; and then, finally, the secret way was revealed. A winding crevasse that snaked through the cliff, the cave system led them to a deeply carved cavern underground - obviously made by sentients. Within it, were artifacts of Sith, Jedi, and all assorted historical documents as well.*

*Dante himself cared nothing for these; taking only a single artifact - what looked to be a gyroscope - from the collection. He showed it to the Sith; being of ancient bronzium, the gyroscope had symbols carved into it, as well as several strategically placed precious gems. Over all, a valuable item - probably worth the trouble.

And with that, he bid the Sith adieu. Leaving the cavern, he left the Sith to his own devices - do as he may - and called to the city for a transport. Within an hours time he was picked up by shuttle, and then, flying back to the city...upon which he merged with the split-time line Dante, and ceased to exist.*

Darth Fowrawn

*The pair walked the hidden paths of the Mountains of Vandelhelm until they arrived at the site's location. The Jedi, true to his word, opened the Cavern of relics for them and they both entered cautiously. Searching for traps and other surprises, the pair of misfit allies continued deep into the cavern until they arrived in the Relics treasury. Within the room were hundreds of artifacts and relics. Some of the planets history, others primarily related to the Jedi and the Sith. As per their agreement, Fowrawn let the Jedi take his single artifact with him and leave. Although Cronal had not specifically said to kill any Jedi he encountered - the Trandoshan Sith Lord considered his Master would be happy that he had recovered so many of the items he had needed to be found. Keying in a request to the Sith Cruiser in orbit, Fowrawn gathered some items he could carry with him and left the cave - leaving behind his tracking beacon for the Cruiser to lock in on and send parties down to retrieve the items. Fowrawn would hardly be at his landed Sith Fighter before the landing parties would be loading up and recording the entire contents of the cave.

Left to his own, Fowrawn headed back down the hills and mountains towards the Valley where he had left his parked Sith Fighter. It took him well into the night to return to the crashed Freighter the Jedi had originally landed in, and from there only another hour to reach the Hill he had landed his ship on. Exhausted from the long journey and the day's events, the Sith Lord made camp outside of his dark Fighter for the night. Eating a meager meal and mostly sleeping through the night, Fowrawn awoke the next morning and packed his things - storing them in the compartment underneath the cockpit of the Sith Fighter. Boarding moments later, he lifted off without pause and made way for Dromund Kaas. Their dark lord was calling all of his Agents to him for new, more important missions.*