Location: Plagueis territory, Planet Aliso, The Pinacle
Date: Unknown
Nora Olen was in her room in the middle of a meditation session. In she breathed, and out again. Deep breaths only, ignoring everything around her except her breathing pattern- how it tingled the tip of her nose as she drew her breath, how invigorated her lungs and filled her belly, and finally, how warm her exhale was.
It was a fine day in Aliso City. Warm, golden-hued sunlight beamed through the curtains of her room's window at The Pinnacle.
That was when the ominous came. Nora slowly exhaled, opened her eyes, and scrambled to receive the call. It was from the Dread Lord herself, from Selika's office. "Lady Nora?" came an unknown female voice. "Mistress Selika desires your presence at her office as soon as possible. Thank you."
She wondered and tried to divine what the issue was. Indeed it was important enough to be called over to the Dread Lord's office. She also wondered if other leaders of the Clan were called and whether it was a leaders' meeting. However, she merely shrugged her shoulders and prepared to get ready.
"You called Dread Lord?," asked Nora as she entered the office. The room was magnificently furnished to the Dread Lord's taste. Exquisitely furnished and befitting royalty, it could rival a Coruscanti nobles' home.
"Come in, Nora—no need to stand for ceremonies. Please take a seat." The Dread Lord welcome her in with a wave of her hand.
Having done that, Nora was about to ask her what the issue was. She was still wondering if it was a group meeting. Yet, since none of the other leaders were here yet, it was clear that Selika wanted to speak about something that concerned just her.
Selika smirked at her questioning expression. "Perhaps you are wondering why I called you here."
"Yes, Dread Lord."
"I'll make this quick. We have reason to believe that there's a Force user on Shili. That's all we know. Alignment, motives, reasons for being there- those we don't know. What we do know is that this is no dabbler in the Force. There's a strong, steady connection."
Nora nodded. She had a feeling where this was going.
"I want you to go there and investigate. We have a good idea of which area of the planet you'll find this Force user. As for what you'll do to find the individual, your priority is to recruit the individual to the Clan. With War on our horizon, we want every able-bodied warrior at our disposal. We are tracing rogue Force-users of every hue and color and shall continue to do so before the War begins. And talking about disposal, you're free to dispose of an unwilling individual. However, recruiting even the most unwilling with your mind tricks won't be a problem."
"I'll go get ready, Dread Lord. Be rest assured. This Force user will either join us or not see the next sunrise." acknowledged the Zeltron as she slowly got up. She was going on a hunt, and she will relish this mission. However, her heart was grim. Who was this Force user?
The Dread Lord smiled and said, "May the Dark Side be with you, Battlelord. You can use one of our ships for the task. We shall await your return.."
Location: Somewhere on planet Shili
Date: Unknown
The Battlemaster's shuttle maneuvered expertly through the planet's atmosphere. It touched down with a soft touch as if the ship was shy of damaging the planet's pristine vegetation. Still, the gaseous fumes from the shuttle's exterior seared the grass around four meters. The loud mechanical noises scared away whatever fauna was nearby.
Nora Olen ordered the shuttle to stay there but to take no action no matter that. Even the squad of troopers inside had orders to take no part in the oncoming encounter. This was something Nora could do easily given her skills in the Force, as rightly commended by her Selika before. For there are many who can subdue with their fists and lightsabers, But of those who can bring foes down by corrupting their mind, there are few. Yes, Nora prided herself on being a rare Force-user who loved to play with her prey's minds before dispatching them to the next world.
She had been walking on the grassy plains for hours now. All she could see around her were blood-colored grass, trees and leaves, black rocks, boulders, dead leaves, and twigs, but not much else. It was hard to see at times, no thanks to the vegetation! And the smell! She had no idea what that smell was or where it came from, but it was pungent. Perhaps that's the special, natural cologne of Shili?
The female Zeltron scoffed, shrugged, and walked on. It was time to find that elusive Force user. He must be here somewhere, she said to herself. Exhaling a deep sigh, she came to a standstill. If someone doesn't come out, she has ways to search them out. She let her tensed body relax and focused on the ambient Force around her. The Force connects all. It hides nothing; to anyone who knows that truth, it shows all hidden things. At first, she could 'see' only flora and fauna around her, but those were neither strong in the Force nor important enough to break her focus. She searched deeply for one with a lot deeper connection to the Force.
The Zeltron didn't need to continue anymore, for she felt a presence behind her even without seeking through the Force. It was a powerful presence, and certainly not from a novice. Someone was at the edge of a dense field of red grass, just a few meters behind her.
Well, better not keep waiting, said Nora to herself. She challenged, "Come on out, whoever you are! I mean, you no harm. I just want to talk with you." Nothing. One could hear the sound of dry leaves falling in that silence. "No harm will come to you if you turn yourself in. Is that understood?" Nothing. Not a sound from whatever the presence was. No action, and not even a verbal acceptance of a challenge. Nora gave it more time, but it frustrated her a bit. She hates being slighted and ignored. "Listen here, you runaway rat, if you don't come out, I promise to burn you out, skewer you, and..."
"Sithspit!"
She involuntary stumbled back, almost screamed, tripped, and fell on her back, wide-eyed and horrified at what had emanated from the grass field. If the Force-user or whatever it was, which could be an evil Sith apparition for all she cared, was concealing his presence earlier, it was now striding towards her, slowly and menacingly, with a sword in hand. It wasn't the Force strength of the individual that scared her enough to almost scream out. She was still certain she could best her foe. The appearance involuntarily brought out her fear mixed with a bit of disgust and, for reasons she didn't know, a dab of awestruck admiration. Her foe's armor looked grafted to his skin, bone, and muscles. It was as much a part of him as his limbs. This looked especially horrifying! She wondered if it was grafted into him while he was still conscious. It reminded her of something, but that something still eluded her.
She got back on her feet, dusting off dirt as if she hadn't fallen in the first place. However, her eyes were on the enemy, her crystal-clear senses focused.
The individual stopped moving towards her, but his sword was still tight in his right hand. By now, he was near enough for her to hear his breathing. It was seemingly unnatural. His inhale was sharp, and on the exhale, it was labored.
Nora decided to try another way, trying to diffuse the cackling tension in the air "Mind telling me who you are?"
No answer. With the helmet on, she couldn't tell the person's race or gender. However, he was carrying a Sith Sword. Those are very rare. If this person could acquire, create and wield a Sith Sword, there was some reason to worry.
"All right, fine." She said with some exasperation. "I guess you're not the most talkative type. I get it. I was a wallflower myself, so I know how you feel. I'll introduce myself first and expect you to do the same. I'm from the Dark Brotherhood and a Quaestor from Clan Plagueis. That's an... important position, in case you're wondering." All her listener did was cock his head slightly. Well, that's a good sign, he said to herself. Someone's finally listening. She continued, "Now, we seek warriors for a great war soon. You can win renown and build a legacy if you help our Clan in this fight."
After some time, a dry voice came. "Your wars are your own. It is nothing to me."
"Now, now. Be reasonable. We are not just about wars. We can train you to be a powerful Sith, gain knowledge about the Force, and beguile minds. Don't you want those?"
"No, I do not. Go on your way. I've had enough of bloodshed. I will not be recruited." With that, the armored male turned away slowly and moved back into the field of three-meter-long grass.
"Hey! If you don't come willingly, I have orders to bring you in unwillingly. Or leave your carcass here. Whichever you prefer. All the same to me!"
The male, whose nonchalance was now maddening to Nora, ignited her anger. She started towards him, her lightsaber in her light hand. So be it if he wanted to be brought in as a carcass. Perhaps she'll have to skewer him after all! Her lightsaber's blue blade erupted with a sharp hiss moments before she attempted to strike him.
The man stepped away just a second before contact, making her blade singe some grass. Nora just had enough time to bring her lightsaber in front of her defensively, for the man locked her lightsaber with his sword in his right hand. She couldn't see him smiling, but she felt he was doing so under his mask for some reason. "Wrong move," he hissed coldly. Lightning erupted from his left hand and struck her lower torso. The impact was so sudden, painful, and powerful that it lifted her off her feet and slammed her down on the grass a few feet away.
