He paused as she offered her help in his mission here. He turned his scarred face and let his orange eyes look over her face as he contemplated what she had said. He could not get a good read of her. He knew she was force sensitive that much was for sure but he could not gauge much more than that. Too many walls in place. Similar to him he supposed. 

Isolation had become a praised and hated fellow among his companions as he had pushed away almost everyone he knew to a safe distance or what he thought was a safe distance as those that he cared for tended to die in some relation to his involvement. 

He nodded his head slightly as he let a small smile come across his features. �It is an honor to meet you Ikari. I am Rie Basoar.�

He bowed slightly as he then looked over the bodies of those he had just...dealt with. 

�You�d think they would have had better manners...however I got enough of what I need to discern an approximate location of the ruins.�

He figured he might as well be mostly truthful with her, though how deep his interest went into the ruins he sought would remain in the dark for now. 

�You could say that I am looking for the remnants of a race so old most of its culture and technology have been lost to the eons. I have spent many years putting pieces together to find some of their former strongholds...or at least what is left of them.� 

Walking outside with her he turned towards the small space-port that this city had and continued talking (assuming you�re following me). 

�We can get a speeder at the spaceport and be on our way. If needed we can stop by your ship or home so you can grab any gear you may need. We are going to be in very dense jungle from what I tore from his mind.� 

 

Her answers were evasive to say the least as Rie immediately felt that there was more to her then she was letting on. Her basically asking him the same thing he had just asked her told him that she had at least a small something to hide. Reaching up with his right hand and pouring her another drink he smiled softly. 

�I guess you could say I am here in search of something�.ancient.� He started. 

The research into the Varratari had been a painfully long one as he and the Dominion slowly uncovered more and more of their accomplishments. The race that had constructed the inter-dimensional gateways was one that he had become obsessed with...as he felt he needed to understand what had happened to them. 

As he thought of that he heard the door behind the bar slam open and five or six men came through looking around. The bartender that Rie had paid for information stood at the front of them and pointed directly at Rie. 

Rie took his glass and threw back one last shot before he sighed. 

�Appears that my business deal is about to go sour. Excuse me.�

Rie stood up and turned around taking a step forward as the men formed a semicircle in front of him. 

�I would suggest not going through with your plan boys.� Rie warned softly. 

�And why�s that? You got gold strips that are worth serious coin..Hand them over now.�

Rie smirked softly as he shook his head. People really didn�t know when to stop playing with fire. 

�I will just have to decline your request.� Rie said. Letting his hands drop to his sides not yet revealing his lightsabers. 

Two men stepped forward and put one hand on each of Rie�s shoulders. Or at least attempted to. Before they were within a foot of touching him they suddenly stopped and seemed to struggle to move forward, backward, anywhere. 

Raising his hand and chuckling. 

Suddenly the two men grabbed at their throats as invisible hands slowly grasped them harder and harder. 

Realizing that they were not dealing with a defenseless mark the other three raised their blasters and tried to pull the trigger. Nothing. 

Their hands shook as an invisible hand slowly turned the blasters towards each other. They tried to let the blasters go but couldn�t as they slowly pulled the triggers and shot one another. Leaving only the bartender and the two individuals that were slowly suffocating. 

�Can you give me a minute with your...I guess he would be your boss wouldn�t he? Rie said to the two that were hanging and gasping. Stepping past them but not letting them go Rie grabbed the bartender by the collar and raised him off the ground. 

�You owe me some information about the ancient ruins I asked about...give it up or I will pry it out of your miserable little brain.�

As he spoke the two men that he had been strangling fell limp with soft cracks being heard and then fell to the ground joining their dead comrades. 

�Uh...shit I am sorry! I uh...the ruins yeah I know where they are located. But they are buried under a shit ton of brush...deep in the forest. Nothing a force sensitive would really care about...�

It was not enough. Sighing Rie focused as he entered the man�s mind and forcefully took the information he wanted. He saw the ruins against a cliff...a dual waterfall overshooting the area as very deep brush surrounded the entire area. But where was it!? He dug deeper as the man started to scream and scratch at his temples as if trying to get a hot ember out of his skull. Deeper and deeper he went�. it was to the west on the second continent south of the largest mountain range. But where were the coordinates...Nothing. 

Blood was dripping out of the man�s nose and ears scratches had formed where he had been clawing at his own head. Rie let him go letting him drop to the ground likely never to recover. He did not care though. He had done this planet a service in ridding them of this crap. 

Turning back to Ikari he raised his hands and shrugged his shoulders. 

�Good help is just impossible to find these days. Wouldn�t you agree?�

With that he poured himself another shot and downed it. Preparing to leave he bowed to the woman he had really just met and turned to leave.  

Twisting off the cap of the whiskey bottle he flipped it onto the table and pulled the glass a little closer. Pouring the liquor into his glass he topped it off and set the bottle down sliding the glass to the edge of the table as his orange eyes flicked back to the bar. Still nothing. He picked up the glass and threw it back feeling the burn go down his throat as his second round soon turned into his third and fourth. The room seemed to fog a little as he sighed letting his guard down only slightly as the whiskey did what it was supposed to. Make him somewhat forget. 

His mind wandered to his one wish in life. Peace. A fool's errand he knew but one that he had yet to give up on. The cost though. 

He wished he could be like these simple people...and not care. Not have a care in the verse. Not worrying about how one action could lead to the deaths of millions and an inaction could do the same just on the other side of the border. 

Of course those sacrifices were closer to home. How many had he lost? More than he could count on both hands. More. The horror of their faces forever etched into the insides of his eyelids forever their screams to be echoing inside his head. 

He reached for the bottle once more when he felt it�

Eyes on him. Glancing sideways he caught her ever briefly as she stared at him. So...she was what he had felt. His mind was slowing from the liquor. Apparently she too was enjoying a drink. He thought a moment perhaps she was an assassin to finally end his life...then he almost laughed if only they knew how much he would prefer it that way. Honor is what kept him amongst the living...that and stupid mistakes made by his enemies. 

He however did not feel ill intent from this one. No he felt...curiosity was it?

Grabbing the bottle and his glass he stood up and walked over to her showing no fear as he set the bottle down on the opposite side of the table she sat at and then tipped his hat forward slightly as he softly spoke to her. �Couldn�t help but notice this chair was empty...care to have a another drink?�

With that he used the force to slide the chair out from the table and sat in it. At this point he could be called stupid for just walking up to someone he didn�t know that was apparently force sensitive but he did not care. If this was his end then so be it. It wouldn�t be the worst way to go. 

�So what brings someone such as yourself out here on the edge of nowhere?� Rie said leaving out an introduction on his part as he carefully studied the woman in front of him awaiting her reaction. 

The bartender was taking an unusually long time. Likely meaning things were about to go sour at some point.   

Hyperspace was cold. It was space between space where there truly was no boundary no border no semblance of existence. Yet to the unaided eye it looked like a swirling vortex ever pushing forward before the ship. To some it was hypnotic and gave them a great deal of peace...others it could drive mad if they stared too long into the void. 

His mind drifted to those that had lost their minds piloting the first hyperspace lanes into the unknown. The dangers that they had faced without knowing if they would ever return. Now those were his kind of people. 

His eyes were closed as the cabin of the Dark Passion was dark except for the soft dim lights of the single pilot station off to the right. Behind him his R2 unit, Glimmer,  stood in a state of hibernation while he charged his servo batteries. This was a rather long trip through hyperspace as their destination lay on the very edge of the southern part of that galaxy in an area that was often considered backwards and out of the way by galactic powers. Which is why this secret had remained for so long why all the clues he had pieced together for years had finally led him to a backwater world named Oris IV. No indigenous species survived all that dwelled there were from other worlds. Yet a mountain of data from the ancient race that created the gate system was supposedly there in some kind of outer research center that had long been forgotten. 

Suddenly he felt the cold grow ever colder as something�.He focused as it was there a moment and then it fluttered...no there it is. Something dark be on the planet that was his destination. But who? 

Knowing his luck a remnant of the empire or sith would be there. No matter he needed to research this to see if this would finally point him in the direction of the last remnants of the ancient Varratari�

Apparently a lot of time had traversed as suddenly a loud chirp came from behind him as Glimmer took over the controls of the shuttle and dropped it out of hyperspace. Their destination lay before them. A mostly jungle world on the fringe of a large purple nebula which cast its purple glow on the planet giving it an almost jewel look from this distance. 

Sighing Rie stood up from his kneeling position grimacing at the pain that shot through his right side. Even though a large portion of his body had been rebuilt the pain would never go away and he took it as penance for those he had lost...those he had failed. The faces of his children would always be burned into his mind, their screams of pain and looks of utter loss as they had left this world...leaving him to stand alone all in the name of honor. 

Sometimes he was very disgusted with himself and his unending need to pursue whatever honor was...even after all of these years. After all of those sacrifices he was no closer to finding it...to finding peace. 

There was no real space authority here so Rie manually brought the shuttle into a low orbit and scanned for any signs of civilization. He found it on the western plain of the largest continent near the equator.  Taking the shuttle down he contacted the small space port and requested landing which he was given by a very drunk sounding bothan. At least he thought that was a bothan. 

Landing he shut down the shuttles power systems so that they were on standby. Turning to Glimmer he held out his hand. �You will stay with the ship. If I need you I will call for you.�

There was an obvious disagreeable tone in the chirps that came Rie�s way. Rie only smiled and grabbed his overcoat which he put on over his form fitting armor and a hat on his head tipping the brim to hide his face. It was unlikely many would know who he was on this world but he would prefer it to stay that way until he decided what his finds here were worth to the Dominion. 

Clipping his two lightsabers to his belt under the coat he then slipped a blaster into a holster on the back of his belt. 

There wasn't much to the town other than the spaceport some facilities for ship repair and a couple of homesteads and something that looked like it was meant for some kind exotic animals. Perhaps this planet was a good game planet. Of course there was a cantina because what planet would be complete without a good place to get a drink. 

Heading into the cantina he figured he would be able to get some information about what was outside of the city�s boundaries. Heading to the bar he flipped a few coins onto the counter and smiled. �Blood Whiskey.�

The bartender grunted as he looked over the coins and nodded. Picking up a bottle from under the counter he placed it on the bar with a glass. �Ice is extra.� 

Rie flipped another coin onto the counter. With that he had a glass of ice blood whiskey which he sloshed about a little in his glass before slamming it back. The liquor burned as it slid down the back of his throat. 

�What is there around these parts to do...other than drink my sorrows away that is?� Rie asked as he pushed his glass forward for another round. 

�Not much really...just a bunch of poor folk rolling in the mud.� The man said sarcastically. 

�Let's say I am interested in...ancient ruins that are rumored to be around here.� Rie said as he slid a few gold plated strips on the bar. The man�s eyebrows raised slightly. Unlike credits the bars held more value especially out here on the rim. 

�Could be...I�d have to check though.� The man said. 

Nodding slowly Rie smiled again and grabbed the bottle from the others hand. �I'll be waiting�� Glancing over his shoulder he pointed to a corner booth in the back of the cantina. �Over there.�

With that the bartender disappeared to the back and Rie took his glass and bottle to the dirty table he had pointed at. Propping his boots on a stool he let his orange eyes scan the cantina looking at all whom were there�.still feeling a cold darkness that he could not pinpoint.