Bloodshot | b. Solo

[ Prologue ]

Myrkr | 6 ABY

2 years after the battle of Endor

The jungles of Myrkr were hot and humid, plastering the young man's blond locks to his forehead with sweat. The bright green glow of the lightsaber acted as the only illumination, the dense canopy of forest effectively blocked out the light from the moon. Luke had heard rumours of a sith holocron, stolen from Jabba on Tattooine during the Galactic Civil War. He suspected Zann's consortium was responsible, along with the robbery of the Emperor's vault on Coruscant. Though the consortium was long gone from Myrkr, Luke hoped Zann had left something that could lead Luke to him and the holocron. It was tough going, Luke had left his ship several kilometres back at the newly established city, Hyllyard, and decided to brave the jungle on foot. Every now and again he'd stumble upon evidence of activity. The air of Myrkr was heavy, the earth here knew the taste of blood all too well, Luke could feel the history practically humming through the pulse of the planet. It was Luke's first time on the planet, but he suspected it wouldn't be his last. He was careful not to drop his guard, all too aware of the Ysalamiri that inhabited the planet. They were the main reason that Myrkr had become such a haven for smugglers during the clone wars. Luke had learned that even the jedi were reluctant to traverse the planet due to the creatures ability to create force-neutral bubbles. In large numbers, the bubble could span kilometres. This was a fact of which Luke was acutely aware.

A cool chill fell over him as he approached a clearing. Before him, remnants of an ancient battle. Luke recognised elements of both jedi and mandalorian manufacturing. The great Mandalorian Wars. Ahead lay what had been an ancient hammerhead-class battle cruiser. Luke approached cautiously, keeping his lightsaber firmly aloft in front of him as he carefully made his way through the crumbling debris. The jedi, however, was more interested by the mandalorian fighter that lay dwarfed by the cruiser's shadow a few yards ahead. Keeping his guard up, he gingerly lay a foot against the fighter's side, testing the resilience of the metal. It didn't make any indications that it would give, and that was good enough for Luke as he sheathed his saber and scrambled up the side of the overturned fighter. He peered inside, and to his surprise he seemed to be met with infinite darkness. Luke ignited his saber for a better look.The fighter had been completely stripped on the inside and on the wall opposite was a gaping hole that seemed to continue through the fighter and into the earth. Luke made a split second decision, sliding off his metal perch and jumping down into the cavernous darkness that seemed to be calling his name.

Luke landed with a hard thud that echoed ominously in the dark chamber he'd fallen into. He raised his lightsaber to scout his surroundings, casting green light around the stone cavern. The enormity of the space left him in awe. Every inch of wall was carved. The carvings look mandalorian, but they failed to follow the usual narrative of a warrior race. The carvings seemed almost pacifist? They depicted the uniting of the mandalorian clans and a restored mandalore. But that didn't stand with the ways of ancient mandalore, and these carvings were certainly ancient. Luke wondered, had he stumbled on some revered mandalorian tradition he wasn't supposed to know about? Luke examined the way from which he had came, far too high to be his exit now. He began his way, towards what he hoped would eventually lead to an exit. As he came to the wall of the far side of the chamber, Luke noticed a ship. It was slightly battered and looking worse for wear, standing relatively abandoned beside a towering stone archway carved into the rock. Luke sincerely hoped the arch signalled his exit. Erring on the side of caution, Luke approached the ship slowly. It was a make he didn't recognise but it was definitely not ancient, unlike the rest of the ships in this part of the forest. Perhaps, it was a ship left from Zann's time on the planet. The thought alone spurred Luke closer. He could sense someone inside, and the dust hadn't yet settled on the metal, indicating it had only landed recently. Luke stiffened, lightsaber at the ready as he called out for anyone on board. There was no answer, Luke tentatively began to board the ship and was almost immediately hit by a foul smell that made his eyes burn and begin to water. He quickly realised why, as he peeked inside, his cloak held tight over his mouth and nose. A clearly pregnant woman lay just inside, surrounded by a watery pool of blood, her white blonde hair fanned out around her head. Luke reached out to touch her, she felt cold and stiff, too far gone for him to do anything. Childbirth deaths weren't unheard of in the far corners of the galaxy, where money was hard to come by but something didn't feel right. Had this woman piloted the ship all the way to this hidden chamber just to give birth? If so where was the child? Luke made his way further into the ship, his questions answered when he discovered the cockpit and the small swaddle contained in the basket on the co-pilots chair. The baby was small and pale, he had no idea how long she'd been alone here and she felt weak. However, something about the baby intrigued him, the force flowed differently, a feeling he'd only experienced with a select few. Force sensitive. If the woman had been a force sensitive it could explain her secrecy around her birth. Luke knew all too well that there were still remnants of the empire who would happily pay bounty for a dead force sensitive.

His mind decided, Luke tucked the infant securely into one arm and made his way back into the chamber. The large archway from before led into a stone corridor lined with statues of ancient mandalorians, Luke recognised the ancient jedi knight Revan, and beside him Mandalore the Preserver. Luke wondered how many others knew about the place. The mandalorians were all but wiped out by the empire. He didn't dwell on the answer, as the moonlight finally reached his face. Glad to have found his way out, but now adequately disorientated, Luke reached out into the force and felt the relief wash over him as he found he wasn't far from where he'd found the mandalorian fighter. He set out south towards the city, as quickly as the terrain would allow him. But Luke was distracted with thoughts or mandalore and the empire, he had barely made it halfway back to Hyllyard when his thoughts were broken by a low growl. Three pairs of yellow eyes glared out from the trees. Luke's lightsaber ignited and he clutched the child closer to himself. Three large, muscled canines emerged from the trees, their ears pricked forward into sharp points. Vornskrs. Their large clawed paws were silent as they crept through the underbrush. Luke had never seen one in person before and they were terrifying to behold, hulking stygian black and hungry teeth as long as his hand. Their tails whip-like and dripping with venom, Luke surveyed his options for a moment. He hardly had the chance, as the first flicked its tail in his direction with a snap. Luke dodged, they were faster than he had realised and he had to think fast. Seeing Luke dodge in its direction, a second vornskr flicked out its tail, hoping to catch him unaware and causing Luke to jump back a little out of its reach. The final creature when for its turn at him and Luke attacked, with one slice the beast's tail was clean off. It let out a noise that rattled his bones, a high yowling that seemed to incite the other two, who rounded on him. The larger one lunged for him and Luke ducked hastily, missing his face by a hairs length. It leaped at him again but this time he was ready for it, wounding it with his lightsaber. It yelped, landing clumsily, with a large thud on all fours. With two wounded and howling in pain, the third animal decided against an attack. Luke took his chance, retreating back into the forest, towards the safety of the city. He was unable to breathe a sigh of relief till he was safely in his starship again.