Myrkr is a dangerous world for nearly all sentients. Although once settled by the Neti, it has long since evolved from those days. The flora of Myrkr has a high metal-count, making it easy to hide from sensors and the perfect spot to set-up a pirate base or other criminal operation. What also made this world perfect for all manner of seedy individuals is the presence of ysalamiri—creatures with the ability to neutralize the Force.

The ysalamiri are located deep within the forests of Myrkr, where you have also found yourself. They have evolved the ability to make a bubble that excludes the Force to protect themselves from dangerous predators called vornskrs. These dangerous, canine-like predators hunt using the Force, and as such are highly attracted to anything that is Force-sensitive.

The forests of Myrkr are not for the faint-of-heart. It was used by the Yuuzhan Vong to create monstrosities, and continues to be utilized by the seedier elements of the galaxy. The dangers that lurk under the shadowy canopy cannot be underestimated. Not even the Force can protect you from the dangers of the forest.

You stand seemingly alone in a small clearing. Though you can feel the Force at the moment, you know that not far from this clearing, many of Myrkr’s horrors lie – including the Force-negating ysalamiri – can easily be found… You quickly realize this clearing won’t be safe for long as you sense you are not alone.

Scheat laughed when he realized his predicament. "I came here to try and recruit someone. And well I'm in danger now. I suppose it could be worse."

"It could be worse do you even know who you are facing?!" said a female voice from behind him. He recognized the voice from the recordings he had heard prior to his landing.

He turned to see a red headed female human looking at him. She had her hand on her lightsaber. He smiled. It was the person he came to find.

"Hello. You must be Taranae. I am Scheat," the Nautolan stated. "I came looking for you actually. You have information I want."

"And what exactly is that squidman?" Taranae asked.

"It is simple really. I need information to help me take down the Saraask'ar Slaver Guild." Scheat said with a smile. "Its not going to affect your house or clan... hopefully."

"You are asking me to betray my HOUSE!" Taranae said, her anger getting a hold of her. She brought out her saber with a flourish.

"Wait a second. I wasn't done talking." Scheat said. "its not your house. Its slavers. Technically you would be betraying people planning to betray you. Besides. I have an addition offer. Would you like to join my smuggler's guild. Don't answer now just think about it. Now since you're mad and want to fight for the thought of you betraying your house. Why don't we spar here. I have my lightsaber. A small match wouldn't hurt anyone...."

"Gladly," responded Taranae.

"But let me get just one thing clear," Taranae added, "You just asked me to betray my House-" she quickly waved away the beginnings of a protest from her adversary. "No, I wasn't finished talking. You ask me to betray my House and the people who work with us, and you say we're going to spar?" She let an evil, lopsided grin appear on her face and she saw the reaction it received from her opponent.

"Firstly," she spun her lightsaber in her right hand slowly, "I don't betray anyone. And secondly, only one of us will be leaving this clearing with what they want. You want information from me, but after what you just asked me to do, I want you dead."

Taranae stepped back, her left arm held perpendicular to the ground as she brought her lightsaber to bear and pointed it directly at her opponent.

"And I promise you this; only I will be leaving." With that, she leapt at the Jedi, her lightsaber coming around in a wide arc aimed at his midsection. Scheat stood, smiling at her as she sailed through the air towards him and sidestepped at the last moment, causing Taranae to land in a crouch in the area he had just been standing. She went into a roll and came up facing him with her lightsaber outstretched.

"I didn't want to fight, Taranae. I just came here to get information. A sparring match would have been fine, but seeing as we're at loggerheads on this..." He brought out his weapon and thumbed the activation switch, the lightsaber extending with a soft hiss. "It appears I must defend myself."

Taranae immediately recognised his fighting form and smiled. She knew the form had few weaknesses, but she had fought others using the form and won. She flourished her lightsaber then froze. Seeing movement off to her left, she focused and disappeared.

"Nice trick." said Scheat. "But I can and will-" He cut off abruptly as his senses screamed at him. A moment later, a beast broke through the undergrowth to his right and barrelled towards him. He realised with horror that both he and Taranae had been hunted, and now only he remained visible as the vornskr roared in anticipation at the sight of new prey.

"Frak!" Scheat called out. He looked at Taranae, who obviously wanted him dead. Well. This just got interesting.

Scheat took several steps away from the vornskr. He put his lightsaber ahead of him defensively. This cannot be good. Maybe... no Taranae wants me dead.

"Listen Taranae!" he called out, his smile not faltering despite his possible death. "I just want information. But right now that want is replaced with a want for life...."

So kill the beast Jedi he heard Taranae said in his mind.

"Well then if this is the case, I won't die today!" the Nautolan exclaimed, leaping forward to take out the vornskr.

He swung his saber up to cut off the beasts venomous tail, and followed that with a lice to attempt to sever its head. The beast was faster than he thought, and it pounced on him before he could do any more than cut the tail. His saber rolled away, somewhere he could not see. He struggled the keep the beast's teeth from getting to his throat. Scheat called upon the Force summoning a dark tendril to cut its nose. The Vornskr yelped and leaped off of Scheat.

Scheat rolled away before it pounced again. He looked at Taranae, who seemed more than content to let him exhaust himself. This is not going to end well... he thought, chiding himself. The best I can hope for is to kill the beast, but without my saber, I have no chance against Taranae... I chose the wrong place to approach her.

Scheat started to laugh, hoping that the laugh would confuse Taranae, and maybe even the Vornskr. He got a look of confusion from Taranae, but the beast only jumped at him again. As it was in the air, he called on the Force, and send out a telekinetic attack, blasting it out of the air, turning it to see Taranae. Well there goes one technique I was hoping to save. he thought.

The vornskr, now locked on Taranae leaped at her, and she finished it with a quick swing of her saber. She began to approach Scheat, her lightsaber held low. Scheat only continued to smile, to hide his fear. Scheat, stepped back and focused all his concentration on finding his saber. Taranae continued her approach, now only two meters from Scheat. At the last second, just as she was about to cut him in half, he leaped back and dived into a roll. He ended his roll near his saber and turned it on.

"So you have your weapon now," Taranae said. "That means nothing."

"Yeah?" Scheat said, being indignant for the sake of being indignant. "So what?"

Scheat didn't move however. I can talk big all I want, but I am outclassed. I am beginning to tire, and she was stronger than me even before this. All I wanted was information.

Scheat laughed, now trying everything to get Taranae to give up. "So you are defending people who will betray you in the end. I admire a sense of honor. I truly do. You are defending the people who lied to you about your sister, your family. You are protecting people who take women, and children, and force them to do work to the death. I am asking for information about them. Saraask'ar is going down whether you help or not. If you help then Plagueis won't be caught in the crossfire. In fact Plagueis will have an actually loyal Ally!"

Taranae paused at mention of her sister. How does the Nautolan know about that?! The more she thought about what he was saying, she started to agree. Saraask'ar was loyal to Plagueis because Plagueis could kill them all. Taranae forced herself to stop listening. He is trying to get me to lose faith in Plagueis.

Scheat smile grew. "I am not trying to get you to betray Plagueis. I'm trying to help them. If I take down Saraask'ar, then Plagueis has no access to people for soldiers. If I get help from them, I will look for new sources of soldier for you before I take down the slavers."

Taranae looked at Scheat with a cold fury. "Why do you care so much about Plagueis?! Are you planning on joining, because I will kill you if you do!" Taranae charged forward, unleashing her rage in a burst of Force energy.

Scheat also called on the Force to enhance himself, but unlike Taranae, he was not empowering for a fight. He was empower to run. Scheat took off, faster than Taranae, and ran away from the clearing. That information... I could have used it. Oh well. Life matter more!

As Taranae watched the vornskyr, it whipped its tail around towards its front, hoping to catch Scheat whilst he was still shocked. Unfortunately to her dismay, he leapt out of the beast’s way and its tail swung harmlessly across the space he had just occupied. The Nautolan’s head tresses swung wildly as he landed a little way from the vornskyr in a crouching position, grinning and glancing around as the creature skidded to a halt and whipped its head around with a growl, searching once again for its prey.

Scheat knew where Taranae had disappeared and also knew that she had to remain still for her trick to work. He called on the Force and an image played in the vornskyr’s mind of a crouching sith looking like Taranae placed in the location where she had last been seen. With a grunt, the creature lowered its head and charged the apparition it believed it could see. Just as Scheat expected, she broke her cover and made an acrobatic leap over the beast’s very head, landing a short distance away from his position, but still facing him. She gestured and Scheat lifted into the air. He found himself at a disadvantage as he was thrown over his foe’s head and directly into the path of the beast.

This time he had no chance to react and the beast hit him full-on in the side as he landed, crushing the wind from his lungs and throwing him into the bushes beyond. The vornskyr halted abruptly and sniffed the air. Taranae was now the only enemy he could see and he immediately lost all interest in Scheat as he locked his senses onto the stronger Force signature that possessed. Taranae stood and thrust her hand forward, arcs of energy flowing from her fingertips and grounding themselves on the beast’s thick hide. It shrieked as the attack took its toll and began to buck wildly, trying its best to escape the agonising torment but to no avail. It struggled a little more then dropped, fighting for life. The Sith took her opportunity and crossed to the vornskyr’s prone form. With a flourish, she drove her lightsaber directly through the beast’s skull, killing it instantly. She felt the air above her move slightly and she dove out of the way just as she sensed an invisible force come crashing down were she had just stood. Her adversary emerged from the bushes with a sly grin on his face and gestured. Taranae’s weapon flew from her hand into the bushes a few feet away and she stood looking shocked.

“Let’s see how you cope without that.” Scheat quipped. “Are you the warrior I was led to believe? My offer is still open, Taranae. Give me the information I need and we’ll part at least alive.”

“Did you not hear me before? You insulted my integrity and I won’t rest until you are destroyed!” she replied, as she drew her blasters. Her enemy jumped aside as the blaster bolts were fired and they missed him narrowly. Taranae had been expecting this, and instead of landing safely, he found himself suddenly slammed hard against a nearby tree. He slid down the trunk and collapsed at the base, trying his best to get much needed air into his oxygen-starved lungs. The last thing he saw was the barrel of a DL-44 levelled at his forehead, and a sarcastic voice muttering, “Goodnight, foolish one.”