SWTOR: The Davire Legacy

[2015] Main Chapters: Part 8

The blasters splashed into the water as another group of Flesh Raiders fell. Saiyah wiped the wet sand from her cheek, using the Force to scan her surroundings. She was safe for now, hidden beneath a bridge that crossed one of Tython's many shallow rivers. Her sandy brown pants and shirt had a few burns from the blaster fire, but nothing serious.

The beeping of her holocom drew Saiyah's attention, and she pulled it from her belt to answer. Her master appeared, hunched over and holding a kolto pack to his leg. "Master Timmns, I–" "Saiyah, I need you to get to the coordinates I'm sending you, immediately," the Mirialan hastily interrupted. "Unaw found a cave tunnel the Flesh Raiders are using to enter the valley, and I fear he may be in danger." "Master, what happened to you?" she asked with concern. Timmns shook his head. "I'll explain later. Right now, focus on finding that cave." Saiyah wanted to say otherwise, but kept quiet and nodded. "At once, Master."

She clicked off her holocom, tucking it away as she unsheathed her training blade. Saiyah closed her eyes, taking a deep breath as she opened herself up to the Force. It hummed vibrantly through her, bubbling with a serene peace. She smiled softly, inviting the threads to follow her mind. The Force happily complied, reaching out to locate the male Bith. Flesh Raiders appeared on the radar as tiny black dots, a nuisance, but nothing more. However, there was a location about one mile from where she stood that was darker than anywhere else in the valley. The cave. Saiyah opened her eyes. They were glowing a light yellow color, but as soon as she blinked, the light disappeared.

With the Force as her guide, Saiyah headed towards the cave at a fast jog. Upon arrival, her stomach lurched at the darkness she sensed inside. She snuck inside, seeing no one at first, but she could sense the dozens of Flesh Raiders up ahead. Had she been a normal human, the cave would've been too dark for her to navigate through. As it was, the Force gave her sharper eyesight, and she was able to navigate rather easily. Saiyah followed the rocky path until she arrived to a large open cavern, which was well lit by torches hung along the walls.

She hadn't run into any opposition on the way in, except for one lone Flesh Raider, and now she saw why. Cloth tents were scattered along the surface of the cavern floor, and followed down the sloping trail to another open area below the cliff drop-off. There must've been at least ten or twelve, and in each of those tents, sat a group of three to four Flesh Raiders huddled around a small crude fire. Saiyah swallowed hard. There could be anywhere between thirty and fifty Flesh Raiders in here. How am I supposed to fight them all myself?

Saiyah was much stronger than any Flesh Raider, and one trio of them was not hard to fend off. But to take on this many of them at once was suicide. Suddenly, she heard a cry of pain from further within the cavern, past all the tents. "Unaw," she whispered, feeling the spike of fear hit her through the Force. She could also sense another being down there, someone or something that was a mass of darkness. Saiyah grit her teeth, readying herself from within the shadows. "I am so farkled," she cursed under her breath.

Without a sound, Saiyah lept into the center of the tents, knocking back the fires with a wave of Force, and chaos erupted. The Flesh Raiders were caught completely off-guard, weaponless and frightened as a silent enemy began striking them down. Their tents and supplies quickly caught fire, and the cavern began to smell of burnt cloth and rancid flesh. They began stumbling around, shouting and grunting at each other, trying to figure out what was happening. One of them shot off a blaster, and lasers were suddenly flying everywhere.

Amid the confusion, Saiyah slipped past the rubble and headed down the sloop towards the upper ridge. She climbed the hill cautiously, keeping her mind open to any new presences. As she reached the highest point of the cave, she was stunned at what she found. A huge hole had been dug out of the side of the rock, likely leading down into the Gnarls where the Flesh Raiders originated from. Unaw Aharo stood in front of it, cowering in pain from a strange dark-haired man Saiyah had never seen before. He wore robes of similar design to her own, but dark shades of green instead of light brown. The dark side drenched his aura, and Saiyah approached warily.