Till Next Time

First Meeting

"M8-34 do you copy?" Tala's hushed tone was modulated by the breath mask her droid suggested she wear due to the thick ash of Mustafar. All it was doing was holding her back. The stress of the mission was over working her lungs as she crouched in hiding. The sounds of fighting echoed and bounced off of the forest's wall of dead trees, so much so she couldn't tell where it was coming from or who was involved.

"Yes, Tala. How may I assist you," Her droid's mechanical voice rang in her com reader. Tala winced as she shuffled on the ash barron ground. The red sky was turning dark as her mission began to take much longer than planned.

"Listen, I need you to get me the hell out of here. It seems I'm stepping on the toes of someone else's attack and I don't really feel like dying today, M8." Tala quickly spoke to her piloting droid that was waiting in their cruiser just out of orbit of the fiery planet. A loud crack of a tree falling alerted her among the incessant blaster sounds. The artifact she "borrowed" from the Alazmec Cultists weighed heavily in her satchel. The weight of it seemed to double at the sound of another tree cracking to the ground, this time closer. She pulled the hood of her cloak up as she pressed her body further into the ash covered branches, hoping to conceal her figure from anyone near. Her eyes squinted, working hard to focus and look through the rain of ash falling from the sky. It was pointless, it was too thick. She felt like a sitting duck.

The screech came before she was able to identify the figure running in her direction. It was an Alazmec. Tala panicked wondering if it was chasing her, but a figure storming behind the Alazmec told her otherwise. The Alazmec was the prey not her...well for right now it was. The sentient species' plans to escape were no match for the storm cloud that hunted it. The Alazmec halted mid stride and began to gasp for air. The storm cloud following it came into view.

The being stood tall in all black fighting garb and a mask. With its outstretched hand It pulled the Alazmec up to its staggering height. The crackle of his red saber in his other hand made the Alazmec wince and whine in fear of its impending doom.   

A force user! Tala gritted her teeth and tried to conceal the growl that fought its way out. Her hands stealthily slid under her white cape to grip the ends of her two electro-swords. Bracing herself for whatever was next. "I think you have something I am looking for." The voice modulator of his mask spoke and the Alazmec shook its head repeatedly.

"I don't! I swear it,but-" It was too late. The force user sliced the legs of the Alazmec off causing a gut wrenching sound to escape from him. The lightsaber would cauterize the wound immediately saving it from death, but not the pain of losing its legs. The Alazmec screamed in agony as the force user dropped its body to the ground like it was nothing.

"Let's try this again. I suggest a different answer considering you don't have that many limbs left to cut off"The being spoke as he tilted his mask. Examining the screaming man, unaffected by his pain. It was a heinous display.

Tala had seen enough. There was nothing that disgusted her more than a sith and her rage could not keep her hidden any longer. She would not stand by and let another dark warrior stake their claim. As quickly as she could she climbed the branches of the tree she was using as a hiding spot. She moved gracefully despite the weak wood beneath her boots. A branch was perfectly angled in a way that she was able to sprint across it and dive down to the beast below her. Unsheathing her two elector-swords from their holders she held them up ready for combat. With the advantage of the vast height of the tree and gravity, the flying kick she sent straight into the beast's skull was enough to knock him to the ground. Tala tucked and rolled past the beast with a mask and finished in a crouch with her swords pointed towards the disgusting First Order scum. The lightsaber he wielded was thrown from his hands and rolled past her.

"You know it's much more effective to let your captor fully answer your questions before cutting their legs off." Tala glared as she watched the beast shake off the effects of her attack.