108 Forest Up in Flames

Thunder roared, shaking my bones as rain continued to puddle on the floor of the office. The entire floor was wet and the rug was soaked. The good thing is we are going to demolish all of these buildings anyways.

I slowly turned around, my expression still and confident. "So you're the PMC that allowed Forest to have some initial success."

Holy shit this guy was huge. He was even taller than Malcom with double the muscle mass rippling under his tan white skin. He was easily 250 lbs. He had short black hair combed over his head and his brown eyes had hints of yellow bleeding through. He was not the average Sith player.

He took a step into the room. "So, are you going to come quietly or am I going to have to remove a few limbs before dragging you back to Korriban?"

I held out my right hand, pulling my lightsaber to my hand from my belt. I didn't hesitate as I ignited the blade. The mist in the room took on a purple hue under the humming of my weapon.

Sirius followed suit, illuminating the room in a deeper shade of purple. We both fell into a combat stance.

The man's face twisted into a perverted smile. He was clearly a battle maniac. He then took out his lightsaber. It had a pitch black hilt that lit up ominously with a light of red as he activated his lightsaber.

He held his lightsaber casually and out to the side as he tilted his head back. He was looking down at me. "The name is Andrews. Just thought you should know so you can think of me while being tortured on Korriban."

As soon as he finished speaking, he lunged across the office. He glided across the ground towards my padawan and I.

I stepped forwards holding up my lightsaber. Guided by the force, I effortlessly parried Andrew's slash. There was a ton of power behind it so I was glad I opted to not block.

Following the momentum shift I imparted on his saber, he spun and blocked an overhead chop from Sirius.

I stepped to the side in an attempt to flank but bumped into a chair. Taking the opportunity, Andrews continued spinning and thrusted his saber towards me.

I took a fraction of a second to absorb my surroundings before acting. I spun to the right, slashing towards the incoming lightsaber. As I spun, I raised my left foot and kicked out.

His stomach was like a rock as I kicked him. Fortunately, he still stumbled back a few steps due to his unstable footing.

I continued by grabbing the chair that I had just bumped into with the force. I flung it towards Malcom with as much speed as I could muster. It smashed over him, pieces scattering everywhere as his eyes glowed yellow through the mist that hung in the air. I was able to make out a wide smile on his face.

Glancing at Sirius, I nodded upwards towards the holes in the ceiling. "Let's take this outside."

I stepped forwards and jumped through the hole, landing on the roof under the merciless pouring rain. Upon landing, I noticed that it was quite bright. Wasn't it supposed to be nighttime?

All around the base were raging infernos. Buildings were burning down, collapsing under their own weight with the heat. Enemy soldiers were scrambling around with no one there to control the chaos.

Images of Kashyyyk flashed through my mind as the blazes lit up the night. This was all too familiar.

Suddenly, there was a whoosh and a heavy thump as Andrews joined us on the roof. The flames flickered in his yellow eyes as he gazed upon the burning base. "And here I thought you were going to run away."

I shrugged. "Why would we run when we are two and you are one?"

Andrews chuckled. "Irrelevant, but still a fair point." He then deactivated his lightsaber and clipped it to his belt.

I smiled. "Smart choice. It takes quite a bit to capture me as I'm quite lucky. Do be better prepared next time."

Andrews nodded. "Indeed, I've heard of your slipperiness. However, I highly doubt that we will meet again with my primary MO being your capture. I may be a Sith, but it's just a means to an end. I have no interest in petty power struggles. My allegiance can only be bought and frankly, these tree clowns can't afford me anymore."

I chuckled and put my lightsaber away. "I think describing them as monkeys would be more accurate." Suddenly, I heard the humming of an engine rapidly approaching in the distance. "I think your ride is here."

He looked to the side and noticed the incoming light freighter. "Till we meet again, Soryn. Hopefully we can play for longer next time."

With a smirk on his face, he bent his knees and launched himself into the air. He backflipped as he soared, landing perfectly on the outstretched ramp of the freighter. He cheekily waved at me as the freighter disappeared in the distance.

I sighed helplessly, shaking my head. Despite my confident front, Andrews was right. He would have eventually defeated the both of us. He had both power and technique, a truly dangerous combination. Plus, his stable emotional state, regardless of how sick and twisted it was, is a horrifying thing to see in a powerful Sith.

Sirius walked up from behind me once again. "Do I even have to ask?"

I smiled wryly. "For starters, we weren't a match for him. The cost of holding him would have been far greater than the benefits. That's just bad business."

Sirius shook his head in clear confusion. "I can't seem to figure you out."

I shrugged. "There's no need to fight when there is nothing to fight for. Senseless violence benefits no one."

Sirius remained silent for several seconds. A flash of lightning crashed down upon the base, igniting another fire.

I felt resolution in his mind as he replied. "I see."

I nodded in approval. It was good that he thought about my philosophical teachings rather than blindly accepting them. Snapping out of my satisfaction, I tapped a button on my wrist comm. "Alpha-1, target as escaped. Do you have a visual?"

Tomas quickly replied. "Target is in custody. Do you need exfil?"

I smiled. "Yes, please."