Sirejj picked up the pace to a jog now, reaching an exit and stepping outside. He made his way to a small docking bay and took a speeder from its rack and climbed on, heading for the hunting grounds.
Fey he seemed, or the battle-fury of his fathers ran like new fire in his veins, and he was borne up on Snowmane like a god of old, even as Oromë the Great in the battle of the Valar when the world was young. - The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King
After a moment the shots stopped, and Tarkin went still. She was looking to see where he went, he knew. He eased himself forward slowly, then propped himself up where he could see her. Then, pointing his slugthrower up, he fired.
A miss. She leaped, skidding down the trunk and vaulting towards him with shocking speed. Tarkin tugged out his knife and surged forward.
Last edited by Ljungtroll on Tue Jul 09, 2024 1:03 pm, edited 2 times in total.
"The Imperial need for control is so desperate because it is so unnatural. Tyranny requires constant effort. It breaks, it leaks. Authority is brittle. Oppression is the mask of fear. Remember that." -Karis Nemik
Sirejj figured Tarkin could handle himself for the most part, but he had only seen glimpses of the scene. He wasn't entirely sure what was happening. He sped at an alarming rate down the paths and into the sparse woods, eventually reaching the thick jungles. He continued on the speeder till the brush became too thick then dismounted and took off on foot. It felt good to run. The ground was treacherous but he was used to moving through thick foliage. He was hunting now, and he would find them quickly. It would be rather inconvenient if something happened to Tarkin on his watch, even though the bodyguard story was a half baked lie. Tarkin was a brilliant cover for his own mission and intelligence gathering. It'd be a shame to have to start over from square one.
He also had a feeling they wouldn't allow him to leave Eriadu alive if something happened to the Grand Moff. No, that would be much too messy.
He ran with the agility of a hound, sometimes ducking to all fours to get beneath a hanging branch. He lost little time over or through obstacles, they seemed to almost part a way for him as he moved.
Fey he seemed, or the battle-fury of his fathers ran like new fire in his veins, and he was borne up on Snowmane like a god of old, even as Oromë the Great in the battle of the Valar when the world was young. - The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King
They collided, and a strong hand grasped his wrist as he tried to stab her. Tarkin dragged at her, grabbing for her neck. He'd dealt with a Phindian back at the Citadel and nearly died. The warden was insane, granted, but he had a special dislike for their kind after that incident. He jabbed at her side and she grunted, grip loosening just enough that he had a moment to reach for the spear on her back.
"The Imperial need for control is so desperate because it is so unnatural. Tyranny requires constant effort. It breaks, it leaks. Authority is brittle. Oppression is the mask of fear. Remember that." -Karis Nemik
Sirejj could hear the tussling in the woods ahead of him and slowed down, taking his staff from his back. He leapt up into the branches of a tree and looked down, seeing the two locked in combat. He went to jump down to intervene, but then stopped.
No, let's judge Tarkin's skill for a moment. He could use a demonstration of how well this man fought. It would be helpful information if they ever had to face each other.
He stepped back into the branches and stayed completely still, watching the fight. He would intervene if Tarkin needed help. It would be quite amusing if he had to save the governor from whoever this hunter or assassin was.
Fey he seemed, or the battle-fury of his fathers ran like new fire in his veins, and he was borne up on Snowmane like a god of old, even as Oromë the Great in the battle of the Valar when the world was young. - The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King
The Phindian realized what he was doing and shoved him away. The spear fell to the ground, and they both dove for it. Tarkin landed almost on top of her, and as they wrestled the spear was kicked out of sight. He grabbed her legs and yanked her backward as she tried to go after it, and she clawed his face. Tarkin tasted blood, but he only tightened his grip and pulled again. The Phindian twisted out of his grasp and leaped on him again, this time managing to get hold of his throat with one hand. Tarkin snapped at her, baring his teeth, then tried to knee her in the stomach. She held him down, pressing his head into the dirt as her fingers tightened around his neck. He choked, struggling, and his free hand scrabbled at his belt to pull at his hunting knife. The Phindian saw this and lifted him by the neck, slamming him into the ground so the wind was knocked out of him.
"The Imperial need for control is so desperate because it is so unnatural. Tyranny requires constant effort. It breaks, it leaks. Authority is brittle. Oppression is the mask of fear. Remember that." -Karis Nemik
Sirejj straightened. Tarkin was taking a beating. He stepped out onto a large branch not two meters off the ground and whistled to capture the phindian's attention.
"Valiant effort Hunter, but I can't let you kill this one." He stood on the edge of the tree branch, perched with perfect balance. He was in easy throwing distance if she tried to run. His staff was well balanced and made an excellent heavy projectile.
Fey he seemed, or the battle-fury of his fathers ran like new fire in his veins, and he was borne up on Snowmane like a god of old, even as Oromë the Great in the battle of the Valar when the world was young. - The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King
The Phindian paused, looking up to see where the whistle had come from, and Tarkin shot upward, coughing as he regained his breath.
"Ah, you made me lose him!" the assassin exclaimed. This was all she had time to do before Tarkin picked up his rifle, which was nearer to him than her spear, and clubbed her in the head. She stumbled, and he hit her again.
"The Imperial need for control is so desperate because it is so unnatural. Tyranny requires constant effort. It breaks, it leaks. Authority is brittle. Oppression is the mask of fear. Remember that." -Karis Nemik
Sirejj jumped down and slowly made his way towards the two, circling. He dragged the end of his staff on the ground behind him, slowly moving in on them. He chuckled and ignited the electricity on his staff and sparks spat from the ground behind him whenever the staff made contact with the dirt. Questioning this one would be fun.
"That was the idea."
Fey he seemed, or the battle-fury of his fathers ran like new fire in his veins, and he was borne up on Snowmane like a god of old, even as Oromë the Great in the battle of the Valar when the world was young. - The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King
The Phindian clutched her bleeding head, shrinking back from the pair. "Hey, hey now. It wasn't a fair fight, but you got me. Good work! I'll leave you alone now."
"I think not." Tarkin wiped his face, wrinkling his nose as his hand came away crimson. "Who are you working for?"
"Says in my contract that's confidential." She blinked rapidly, then parted her lips in a half-smile. "Sorry if that doesn't work for you, Governor."
Spoiler
Canonically, Phindians blink to denote a wide smile
"The Imperial need for control is so desperate because it is so unnatural. Tyranny requires constant effort. It breaks, it leaks. Authority is brittle. Oppression is the mask of fear. Remember that." -Karis Nemik
Sirejj stepped closer, his eyes fixed on this phindian. "Ah yes, one of the guild rats?" He smiled, tapping his humming staff on the ground. "Now I wonder what outer rim slimebag would dare to hire you? Certainly the rebels don't have enough money for your services." He was ready to pounce if she tried to run. He spied her spear on the ground and looked a little impressed. It was always fun to meet one with similar taste.
Spoiler
interesting.
I think if/when she tries to retreat Sirejj will try to stop her with the force. She could maybe throw a blade or shoot at him to get him to drop her.
Fey he seemed, or the battle-fury of his fathers ran like new fire in his veins, and he was borne up on Snowmane like a god of old, even as Oromë the Great in the battle of the Valar when the world was young. - The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King
Rad. She'll have a hard time getting away, I think, but she'll definitely try
"Not part of a guild, I'm afraid." She sized him up. "Look at you. You're no bodyguard...you'd have kept a better eye on him if you were. But you're something special."
"Answer his question," Tarkin ordered. "You'll find me a far less amiable interrogator." He was going to interrogate her when they got home, anyway. Then she'd be begging for death.
"The Imperial need for control is so desperate because it is so unnatural. Tyranny requires constant effort. It breaks, it leaks. Authority is brittle. Oppression is the mask of fear. Remember that." -Karis Nemik
"I'm flattered." He dipped his head, his eyes never leaving her. "But I'm afraid you're going to have to answer our questions now." He pointed his staff at her. "Or fight. Or run. I wouldn't advise running though, being hunted in these jungles is a harrowing experience..." He looked almost hungry for a kill. But he liked to play games first.
Spoiler
Tzara is gonna flip when he finds out Tarkin has yet another force user following him around.
Fey he seemed, or the battle-fury of his fathers ran like new fire in his veins, and he was borne up on Snowmane like a god of old, even as Oromë the Great in the battle of the Valar when the world was young. - The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King
"As I said before, I can't disclose that information. We could talk about other aspects of my employment, though!" She winced as Tarkin prodded her. "Listen, listen. I want this to go easily. If you let me go, I can tell you other things. Like my other target, for instance!"
"The Imperial need for control is so desperate because it is so unnatural. Tyranny requires constant effort. It breaks, it leaks. Authority is brittle. Oppression is the mask of fear. Remember that." -Karis Nemik
"You could be after everyone else in the galaxy and I wouldn't care." Sirejj snarled and bared his teeth, taking another step closer to her. "We need to know who sent you. Perhaps then we could negotiate." He knew Tarkin would never to negotiate with her, so he was lying.
Fey he seemed, or the battle-fury of his fathers ran like new fire in his veins, and he was borne up on Snowmane like a god of old, even as Oromë the Great in the battle of the Valar when the world was young. - The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King
