The First Kill

(\* prestige drop story. 1st kill )

Terrogate enters quietly into the meditation room, his advanced senses pickup the scent that there has been many others recently, all who have come to see the Seer of Prakith in her wisdom, to unlock and share their history’s. Perhaps some even for the very first time. And today he decided he would go to her, he had come a long way but still, being able to recall specific memories was difficult, and he needed them.

“Greetings I am Knight Bathori” she says as the broad warrior enters the room. She is standing at the centre and smiles at him, the way she often had at their various interactions. He was happy to have called her friend, although inside he loved her deeply, a strong connection he had not experienced with any other being in his life. Stronger than he could allow himself to admit and perhaps one day they could call each other more than just “friend” if the force so willed it, but that is not why he had come. “Please take a seat, so that we can begin.'' She says calmly, her golden fangs picking up the accent of the candle lights as did her golden eyes, both now reflecting the yellow and orange flicker of the many pillar candles surrounding them. Their life force dances in her eyes and casts moving shadows along the walls in the small room. She gestures at the round cushion in front of her and the Catharian follows her direction, taking a seat, legs crossed at her feet.

As he sits down the Iktotchi Knight explains to him what he already knew “As a seer I have the ability to look into the past, today I want to see yours.” This information he usually was not ever very forthcoming with, mostly because he struggles to recall it unless in very deep meditation and what he does manage to recall is quite painful. But he trusts her.

He senses her standing now closely behind him, her sweet scent familiar to him, and as she finishes her sentence she places her hands on his rounded shoulders. Her ultrachrome hand is cold, and sends a chill up his spine as she then continues to direct him “I want you to take me back to your first kill.” She gives a gentle squeeze on his shoulders and whispers “now close your eyes.” Her hands lift from the apprentice's shoulders and she places them gently on his head, her fingers running along the top of his thick mane. Her voice is soft and hypnotic to him as she continues to speak “ focus on that first kill... open your mind.. and let me in.”

~\*~

Terrogate shuts his eyes and breaths deeply, he focuses on the internal nothingness burr his own being and allows his mind to go blank. He feels the mind meld with the Seer, and he can sense her in his thoughts, in his memories, her presence tugs at the back of his subconscious, heightening his focus.. making his recollections stronger and more vivid.. the dark back suddenly gives way to other senses.. he smells smoke…, he feels heat and panic running through him. His heart is beating

too fast.. it is racing, looking to break free from his very chest at any moment, his breath shallow, gasping for oxygen.

He now dares opens his eyes… he is running… running through an open field of wheat, the sky an eerie blood orange colour can be seen through the black smoke, the wind is against his face and he feels it's heat blast. He is dressed in his Royal guard standard uniform, on his hip is his sidearm, holstered. He looks behind him and can see Mandalorian warships in the distance as well as the outline of dozens of Basilisk mounts and just as many airborne Mandalorian warriors flying above the mounts on their March to another distant Tree city. Their jetpacks scream as they race across the sky. He is back in Cathar, over 4000 years ago at the invasion of his planet my Mandalore the Ultimate.

Before him is the edge of the jungle, large tree homes many set on fire dot the canopies branches amidst the trees like beacons. Terrogate is running to his sister's house, an overwhelming sense of dread fills him completely. As he gets closer he hears much screaming and crying in all directions, burning leaves, branches and dead Catharian bodies are littered on the jungle floor twisted and mangled, some with blaster wounds, missing ears taken as trophies and some even worse. Overhead 4 Mandalorian Neo crusaders take off via jet pack from a neighbouring tree home to Terrogates sister Abbes house, their arms overflowing , carrying gold and silver, jewellery boxes and other valuable items.

Quickly moving to escape their attention, Terrogate jumps over a burning branch and leaps over a small trench where a city Elder lay face down motionless and body twisted in unnatural angles with many bullet holes in their back, their white ceremonial robes stained red. Running fast , his feet and legs muscles feeling like they are on fire he finally gets to a possible position to look at where Abbes house is situated. To his relief it is not on fire or burnt like many others, but then… A blood-curdling scream from a woman comes from her house. Terrogates heart is in his throat. Eyes fixed on his sisters doorway he sees a Mandalorian invader backing out, in his arms is Abbes, his sister. She is struggling but cannot break free. Her dress is ripped and exposing her natural form. She has a rounded belly and Terrogate knows she is with a child. He should have been here, he should have been home protecting them, his family.. Not out playing soldier, he says a silent curse to the gods damning himself.

His eyes then widen in terror as he sees the Mandalorian holding Abbes from behind has a knife to her throat and as they both back out of the house Terrogate notices a second Mandalorian coming out the doorway with a Machete in one hand, the other holds gold and jewelled necklaces, his fist is so full of jewels he cannot hold them all and a number are barely in his grasp, several falling out of his grasp , fluttering down just like the infinite number of burning leaves falling from the forests canopy as he now approaches Abbes and her captor. Terrogate yells out with all his might, choking on the smoke and ash and dust, but it is no use. It's too high and they are too far away, no one hears him. His wasted cries are drowned out becoming one with the rest of the burning chaos surrounding them.

As if in slow motion his sister turns, digs her claws into her captors back pulling him close and then bites deeply into the Mandalorians neck just underneath his helmet with her sharp feline teeth. The Mandalorian drops his blade arm to his side and then thrusts upwards hard into Abbes stomach. She screams in agonising pain, releasing her clawed grip she grabs at the knife in her belly, she turns around now facing the other Mandalorian, dagger still lodged hilt deep into her unborn child, she has both hands now holding the base of the blade as she looks down at it. Raising her eyes and head just in time to see the 2nd Mandalorian swing his blade across her throat slitting her ear to ear. Blood flowing from the wound like a thick crimson waterfall down her slender neck, her eyes wide with fear and surprise.

Terrogate screams and pulls out his blaster pointing it at his sister's murderer; all his will, his desire and anger he pours into delivering one single blast before dropping his weapon to the ground and falling to his knees.. The blaster round finds its mark dead center of the Mandalorians helmet's eye slit leaving a smoking hole. He falls backward into the entryway dead. Abbes stumbles , blood pouring down her neck and onto her bare chest as she chokes on her own blood and tears for her unborn child. She falls backwards over the rope railing and free falls downwards towards the jungle floor landing headfirst into the burning ground. Terrogate slowly stands, eyes wide open, hands held up in front of him moving slowly forwards to where his sister has fallen. Tears stream down his face uncontrollably, he is unable to speak.. unable to think.. unable to breath….

~\*~

The scene in his mind swirls and blurs and again goes dark for several moments… He is pulled back into himself and back into reality, he is conscious that he is now once again in the meditation room. Tears poured freely down his face, dripping off his whiskers and onto his crossed legs in front of him, his claws had protracted and dug deep into his thighs. He closes his eyes again in a long blink, the smell of the smoke still in his nostrils, the raw of the burning trees surrounding him and the image of his sister.. Abbes, falling downwards from the treetops behind his eyes.  After a moment he regains some composure of himself and retracts his claws, leaving rips in his robes that now are starting to turn a deep red as the fabric absorbs the blood drawn from the wounds underneath.

After a pause he speaks to the Knight Seer of Prakith. “I want to thank you for helping me remember Knight Bathori.. but I will not accept any prestige for this task.” A deep sadness comes over him as he speaks

“For as you can see… My first kill was my sister's unborn child. Followed closely by my sister. I wasn’t there to protect them like I could have been, like I should have been, like my father taught me. It may as well have been me holding the blade.”

He looks down, “but I do also want to thank you.. for helping remind me where my place is. For who I am, and what’s most important.”