Star Wars New Sith Trials II: Rise of the Hand

IC: Darth Thunderous

Thunderous understood the mission, but something was still bothering him: the missing trooper and Lenora's absence. He wanted to address his concerns with Darth Kronos, but he appeared busy. So, he decided to talk to Esmerelda.

She must have noticed his approach, because she turned to face him. "Do you have a question, Thunderous?"

He nodded. "It's about Lenora and her strange behavior. I wonder if she might be a traitor. She has been acting suspiciously, and I couldn't help wondering if she might be in contact with the Scions. Heskal might know we're coming."

Esmerelda nodded. "Then what do you suggest?"

"I know Darth Kronos has ruled out an aerial assault, but we might want to keep something in reserve. I am not scare of death, but I don't like nasty surprises, unless I'm the one delivering them, of course."

Esmerelda thought for a moment. "His orders are explicit: no aerial assault. However, your concerns are warranted. We do need to have something up our sleeves just in case our presence is anticipated. Attend to your duties and prepare for the mission."

Thunderous nodded as he walked away. He didn't know if the Scions knew they were coming, but if they did, they would get a surprise they wouldn't anticipate. He would make sure of that.

Tag: Sinrebirth Darth Kronos

 

IC: Darth Ravenous
Obelisk...

Zalen caught up to the Sith-Spawn and offered up her flamethrower

"No, Zalen. I need to keep a free hand for my Hilt."

He patted the hilt that was attached to his side and an eerie grin emerged through his blood-splattered, slithering beard before continuing onward. A somewhat bored sentence; In Basic, was heard from him as he walked away from his allied Warrior, Darth Zalen.

"I suppose I could use some help..."

He bellowed a hallowed laugh and continued down the hall. As he cleared the husk of the GAV he could hear and smell the squadron of troopers rallying around the next corner, the transformation enhanced his natural hunting senses. Ravenous rounded the corner and spotted the troopers that had escaped him just minutes earlier. He couldn't have been more excited in this moment. He would devour them.

The Sith-Spawn let loose a bloodthirsty howl and held down the trigger of the particle cannon he had acquired from the GAV. He took the front line of surprised troopers out in one fell swipe of the gun. The remaining troopers returned fire and Ravenous sunk back into cover of the corner he had rounded. He looked for Zalen and spat to her,

"I like my meat done extra rare, don't overcook the middle Troopers."

He blind fired a few shots from cover.

Tag:Lady Belligerent, corinthia, Obelisk reinforcements

 

Darth Titus
Temple Hangar

Grand Moff Ike had named Darth Kronos the mission leader, which was slightly funny as he had just ordered him a threat to the Empire. Regardless, Kronos was the head of the mission now, and he began his debrief.

In short, their mission was to travel to the Scion Kingdom and take over said kingdom by any means necessary, other than an aerial strike. They were to prepare immediately for their mission. And lastly, Kronos had deemed Esmerelda, who he called Esme, his second in command for the mission. Another person he did not recall. Apparently she was a Moff, but he could sense the force within her.

They were joined by the Fang Squadron consisting of five Stormtroopers in addition to the original three, one of which was missing along with Aryan and Teafa. Titus had last seen them outside of the medbay, but he did not know where they were off to, so he decided not to interject. There was no point. Kronos dismissed the Scion team to begin their final preparations. Jagall, the Jedi offered a slight bow to Titus. It took a tremendous amount of self control to stop Titus from lunging at the Jedi. Who would dare let a Jedi enter a Sith temple. But, in the name of team work, Titus returned Jagall's bow with a smirk. Watch your back, Jedi. I'll happily slit your throat.

With everyone heading off in their own direction, Titus began looking for his personal shuttle. He had been gifted one by the Triumvirate. He had chosen to name it, the Classis Romanesque. He boarded the shuttle, examining it for the first time.

Nothing special, but far from ordinary. A fine piece of Imperial machinery. If it got Titus from point A to point B without getting him blown up, it would serve its purpose. Examining the armaments, he noticed the shuttle had two forward repeating blaster cannons. If he got in a fight, he'd be able to hold his own, for a time at least. And then he saw the shuttle came equipped with a hyperdrive. Very essential indeed.

Unfortunately for Titus, the Romanesque didn't come with a personal pilot, so he had to do the hard work himself. He sat down in the pilots seat, reading over and familiarizing himself with all of the shuttle's controls. Strapping up, Titus started up the engines, hearing it come to life. Easily he found the comm switch button so he could be in contact with the rest of the crew's ships.

Now to sit and wait for departure.

Tags: Darth Kronos, Darth_Elu, Sinrebirth

 

(Combo with Darth_wanderguard)
IC: Darth Alva, Darth Haretisch, Captain Horus
Boneyard

Emotions ran high as Alva felt the swirling pool of angry and hatred from his master. It was interesting, the Sith were known for using their feelings to guide them through the force, but this was on another level. The Night Herald was looking for someone he cherished and if anyone were to jeopardized the situation they would feel his wrath.

As Kwea and Reiis approached, the Night Herald clearly vented on how their actions cost the mission. Alva said nothing, yet only watched with a ready look "Would he kill them like so many others?" he thought, his question was immediately answered as he released them from his force choke. Reiis reacted in rage, only to be silenced by her master. Alva took his hand off the hilt of his saber, now sure that she wasn't going to strike out at the Night Herald. The state of the mission soon changed as the commlink from his master went off. After relaying orders he turned to Alva and Captian Horus.

"Alva, Horus, take the squads back down the path and lock down the turnpike. Hold your position at all costs." Alva nodded, the thought of another fight ahead made him raise inner questions "Can we handle another onslaught of Regulators with the level of Troopers we have?" but now was not the time for concerns.

"Yes master, I will not fail."

Horus was quiet, and replied simply with a stoic nod. He had learned early on of the Night Herald's disdain for military salutation, a bedrock of the decorum which dictated the daily life of a soldier, but which he perceived as meaningless in its rehearsed nature.

"Master Alva, we must go," Horus urged, and hesitantly turned to walk back up the highway and reconvene with the squads. They wouldn't have long to fortify. "We have ninety eight soldiers remaining, milord. Fifty standard death troopers, twelve long-range sharpshooters, ten flametroopers, fifteen melee shock troopers, and eleven lightly armed scouts."

The pounding of the regulators' march was growing louder. Horus looked up to the buildings on either side of the turnpike - there were high windows. Up ahead, piled neatly beside the road was a stack of crushed starship remains, compacted into rough squares. "We need fortifications."

Alva looked in the direction that the Captain was indicating towards. He was correct, there stood the battered remains of several starships, as if they were a relic of a past battle. Alva contemplated the Captain's statement and the starship heaps, "We are to create a blockade between us and the Regulators then. An interesting idea Captain, perhaps your more capable than I thought. Let's hope it stays that way." As Alva thought about the idea, it began to make more sense.

"I'll move them as quick as I can." He said walking in the direction of the compacted starships. He glazed at the squares, then looked back to the path they had just fought through. He concentrated for a brief moment then stretching out both of his arms, he reached forward as if attempting to grab the air. Like a Rancor gripping at it's helpless prey, the force lunged out to seize hold of one of the squares.

Motioning his arms like a conductor at an orchestra, Alva maneuvered the square as it began to float through the air several meters towards the path. Once in place, he released his hold on the scraped heap. It hit the ground with a loud thud, kicking up dust and debris on impact. One by one he repeated the process, stacking the squares against one another until a wall was formed, insuring the Regulators would be cut off from the main path.

Once satisfied Alva walked back to the Captain, "That should hold them back a good while. Perhaps forcing them to take more narrow paths; we could create a bottleneck and stage a surprise attack. Your thoughts Captain?"

Tag Darth_wanderguard Mikaboshi Halle Dray Anakin.Skywalker

 

OOC: A combo presented to you by Hansolo29 and A Blind Prophet productions, with the addition of Sinrebirth

IC: Teafa Phaidraig, Aryan Graul, Darth Insipid/ Hangar Bay/ Azgoth/ Orbit around Zakull (New Morabund)

Listening, as there was little else that she could physically do, she heard Aryan's commentary, saying that she was worthless, a threat and he deserved better. Apparently he'd forgotten that she had just recently had him pinned against a wall and at her mercy. Even in the Luka Sene one did not demand anything, one accepted the teacher that selected you, and Teafa doubted very much that it was different among the Sith. Aryan had things very backwards, and she was going to show him the error of that mentality as soon as she could stand, which wasn't going to be too much longer if the way she was feeling was any indication.

And then Aryan did the unthinkable.

A sense of dread descended on her as she observed Aryan approaching her, but she wasn't capable of fending him off just yet, or what happened would have never been allowed. Not only did Aryan kneel down and touch her, but he caressed her hair in some mockery of a lover's intimacy. NO! The sense of panic, of lack of control that descended over her reminded her far more strongly than she wanted of being captured and tortured nearly every day for a year. The utter lack of agency in that situation had haunted her nightmares ever since, to the point that even to this day she simply could not handle someone touching her when she wasn't in control of the situation. And this was even farther from control than she had been then, as she had at least been able to move in that hell hole. A snarling whimper tore it's way out of her throat, her limbs twitched and moved in a vague semblance of protest, but it did no good.

Teafa sensed Aryan's satisfaction, could see the smirk on his face. Grind in dirt! Smirk wipe! Anger was again asserting itself, but this was more of a cold fury. It built, and built, and she found that she could finally move again. Instead of immediately responding, Teafa waited until she was sure of her body, sure of her ability to control the situation. Waited until Aryan was done speaking, being so proud of himself for his complete lack of respect for her being. Pay will. With that an explosion of the Force ripped through the hangar, more than strong enough to knock Aryan away, though she doubted it would bother Insipid.

Rising from the ground, more steady for the cold rage seething through her body, she stalked over to Aryan and with a flick of her wrist, lifted him off of the ground using the Force. Looking up, a cold self assurance having settled on her face she spoke, venom laced throughout her voice. "Touch. Me. Not. Worm!" After several seconds of holding him in suspended in the air she began speaking again. "Choose you not. Are chosen. Choice mine. Know nothing, no say." Staring up at him with her eyeless face, she waited for his response, as she began to squeeze him with the Force, not enough to cause damage, but more than enough to start to make him uncomfortable.

Several tense seconds passed before Aryan snapped out of his stupor and came to the realization that he had been hurled quite violently across the expanse of the hangar. He currently lay with his back against the cold surface of the deck, his gaze focused on the muted lighting shining down from above. Other than the pounding of his own heart resonating in his ears, everything else was quiet. For a brief moment, he thought that perhaps they had left him behind to die in this dismal environment, but then he heard the sound of footsteps approaching. With a muffled groan, he rolled over onto his stomach and began to prop himself up with his elbow, noting the ache in his left arm and the red crimson soaking through his sleeve where he had apparently made impact with the surface.

As it would turn out, that would be the least of his worries; before he even managed to rise to his knees, Teafa was above him, stalking him like some defenseless prey. He parted his lips to condemn her, but he was effectively cut off as she flicked her wrist and called upon the Force to suspend him several feet into the air. As he felt his toes leave the ground, she wasted no time in berating him for his actions, her voice dripping with a particularly dangerous kind of venom.

A heinous grin marred his features as he stared back at her with an air of defiance, the mad glint in his eye seeming to suggest that he had wanted this to happen. In some twisted corner of his mind, he was actually taking pleasure in the fact that she had been pushed to her limit. It only revealed the truth – that she was nothing but a petulant child, weak, broken and easily susceptible to the world around her.

But despite his sadistic behavior, his body language betrayed his true struggle as he squirmed uncomfortably in an effort to free himself. The oppressive force she was using to suspend him in place was constricting his chest and making it extremely difficult to breathe. Even now, he could see the darkness beginning to creep into his awareness from the edges of his vision, threatening to crush his focus to the point of vulnerability. He winced as he tried to maintain control and kicked out in a vain effort to touch the ground. How humiliating to be reduced to such a spectacle with Emperor Insipid watching from the wings.

And yet, he was still determined to speak. With a gasp, his voice came out as a gravelly whisper. "I-It...feels good--to be...w-wanted," he cooed mockingly, his expression preserving that look of complacency. "And...right a-after I said s-such terrible things..." He snorted in feigned amusement. It was clear from his demeanor that no apology was forthcoming, especially when this situation was all too familiar. Having been at Teafa's mercy only hours before, he was almost numb to the experience. Besides, the revelation that he now had the Force changed things immensely. He was more confident in himself…more daring.

Perhaps that would be to his detriment.

"So….w-where do we go from here--Master?" The last word was spoken with a hint of hostility, leaving no doubt what he thought of her appointment.

Darth Insipid slipped his hands into his pockets. It was important for these two to work out their dynamic. As long as neither of them died, and their effectiveness was not reduced, he had little concerns at this stage.

Aryan was a master at pushing buttons, and too much disrespect for his betters. Teafa had far too many buttons to push, and it took a very direct offence to make her show disrespect to her betters. And so they would teach each other things.

He absently counted. Thunderous had not turned up, and so Insipid was one short. He would need to find three more to make up his Rule of Seven, assuming he counted Soliloquy with Anark, Teafa and Aryan. Which he presently did.

He needed seven.

Seven was key.

Insipid tuned back into the conflict between his apprentice, and hers.

Apparently Aryan didn't understand his exact situation in the slightest and thought that he still had some modicum of power in this situation. Taking special note of the tone of voice, and sensing the undercurrents of glee at her "proving his point" she punched him in the groin. Having spared a moment to ensure that Insipid wasn't actually getting involved, she took that to mean that she had his tacit approval of her handling of this disgusting pustule of a man. In response to his comments she said, "Wanted? Never said." Finishing her comments she spat in his face. Monsters all. Need strong be. More monster me. Monster better. Flicking her wrist again, she threw Aryan to the ground and used the Force to pin him there, her fury at Aryan and her utter loathing of the situation lending Teafa the strength to remain steady.

"You. Up get." Sneering at Aryan, she felt a little sick at her own behavior as it began to actually sink in what she was doing, but the alternatives would make her seem weak, and she refused to allow that again. It was what had lead to this current situation in the first place. "If can." With that Teafa looked at the life force that was swirling around in Aryan's being, and reaching out she began to siphon it out of him so that he would grow weaker. As it fed into her being she began using it to repair her nervous system, so that when this was done, whatever the outcome, she would no longer need her emotions to help her walk.

For several moments, Aryan refused to move from where he had been deposited onto the deck, his body curled up in the fetal position as he rode out the wave of pain that had resulted from Teafa's blow. He had to admit, she had quite a bit of power behind her punch for someone so fragile. But in many ways, her reaction had also been very juvenile, reinforcing the notion that she was only a child and hardly qualified to be leading others of his stature. That whole idea continued to wreak havoc with his ego, and his first thought was to seek revenge. The only thing holding him back, however, was the instability that clung to her presence, causing the air around her to become turbulent with rage...rage aimed directly at him. Any further provocation on his part would only result in even more pain.

And so, he was forced to bide his time. He might have even been content to remain on the deck indefinitely, if not for the challenge she posed to him at the last second: to get up...if he could. Aryan was immediately suspicious of her words, but he kept his expression neutral, not wanting to give her an ounce of satisfaction. Instead, he was determined to show her the error of her ways; he would not be so easily beaten.

But as he planted his hands on the deck to prop himself up, he began to feel faint. It started as a wave of dizziness that forced a gasp from his lips, but the sensation soon traveled outward to encompass his entire body, acting as a sort of numbing agent as it sapped both his strength and stability. He tried to push through it, but his muscles were refusing to cooperate; they simply could no longer support the load of his own body weight.

Ultimately, he collapsed. As he fell face first into the hard surface of the hangar deck, his cheek rebounded with the impact. This, in turn, sent a jolt of pain up the length of his jaw and into his ear, but he hardly seemed to notice.

He had failed.

Taking a deep breath after a bit of time, Teafa relinquished her hold on Aryan's essence and stood there, simply waiting for him to again attempt to stand, having failed utterly the first time. It had been painful in a sense, watching him attempting to force his body to work correctly when she was doing things to ensure that it simply wasn't capable of it, not to mention using the Force to keep him pinned down like a giant hand was pressing down on him.

Making sure that Aryan couldn't actually move, Teafa knelt next to him. "Know nothing. Defend nothing. Weak." Considering doing something similar to what he had done to her, she shied away from that. The last thing she truly wanted was to touch this disgusting man's skin, or hair. To be intimate in any way a completely revolting idea, even if to provide a sense of humility to someone as arrogant as Aryan. Instead of touching him, she spat in his face again.

After that she decided to correct a misperception that he had. "Wrong you. Control am me, waited. Listened. Decided wrongness needed taught." A feral grin spread across her face, in a sense this reminded her of the power from when she had pinned Aryan to the wall. Unsettling as it was, she was finding that being in control of a situation, of another person even, suited her. In a way it brought comfort to her battered emotions, but it was a comfort that she didn't like. Wrongness me. Am who?As echoes of the word monster bounced around her thoughts the realization that there was only one answer to that question loomed large in the forefront of her mind, she was becoming that which Talwar had hunted. But it was that or be a weakling cast aside and trampled underneath the ambitions of those that surrounded her. In essence she was reflecting the uncomfortable realities of her situation, and what they were ultimately going to require of her for survival.

Frowning, she turned her attention back to Aryan. What did she actually want in this situation? To be saddled with such a sad example of humanity as her apprentice, to be in close proximity with him as often as that would dictate, to constantly have to watch her back as she could already see that he would strive to push her at every opportunity... it was more of a headache than she really wanted given everything else that was on her plate already. But... But. Aryan was also the man that had saved her life on Mortis, and helped keep her face from getting even worse, so there was obviously something in him that wasn't completely corrupt. Perhaps she could find that and help him realize that more fully? Chance take? Dare? Searching the man's being, she looked and found pretty much what she had expected, ambition, a desire to dominate, manipulate and control, an overwhelming sense of pride... but there was also something else much deeper. There. Small. Delicate. Beautiful. A small flame of selflessness, that had been crushed and tortured by the realities of his own situation and the things he had done and been forced into, and was in danger of being snuffed out completely. It was this small hope of decency that ultimately decided her, though whether she would help foster it or completely snuff it out she had no way of knowing.

Releasing the pressure on his body, Teafa said, "Will teach. Respect others. Force." After a moment she added, "Self." If she was going to be forced to reflect her reality, maybe she could actually do something to change it. Rising gracefully to her feet, Teafa offered the prone Aryan a hand. Whether his bruised ego would allow him to accept it she had no idea, but the offer was there. Symbolic in a sense, of what she was offering to teach him concerning the Force.

Aryan inhaled sharply as he felt Teafa probing around inside of his head, her cold touch pressing deeper and deeper into his psyche in an effort to expose...what, exactly? What was she looking for? With a sudden surge of panic, he imagined her plucking away every single one of his most-guarded secrets and sending them to the wind for all to bear witness. That kind of violation simply could not stand. Clenching his teeth together with consternation, he jerked under the relentless pressure of her Force hold in an attempt to ward her off, but it was a useless gesture. He simply did not have the kind of discipline nor the understanding to thwart her efforts. The Force remained a mystery to him, and without proper training, he would forever be a slave to her mercy.

That thought must have resonated with Teafa on some level; in the next instant, the weight that had been oppressively bearing down on him lifted, and he was free of her grasp. He immediately recoiled from her presence and reached up to wipe away the spittle from his face, hoping to rid himself of the humiliation that she had reaped upon him so harshly. While he understood the lesson at play and had been humbled by the experience, he was still having some difficulty accepting the fact that he had been bested. That is why he refused to look at her when she made known her desire to ultimately take him on as her apprentice.

Even when Teafa extended her hand to help him up, Aryan ignored it; he needed to do this on his own. A wince seemed to be permanently etched onto his features as he slowly willed himself to his feet and stretched. When he was certain that his legs would support him without crumbling under his weight, he turned to confront Teafa with a heavy sigh. This time, he made certain to seek out her face. While some might have found it rather disturbing to stare into her eyeless features, Aryan took comfort in the fact that he could look at her without seeing the disgust and the vitriol aimed at him reflected back in her eyes. In that sense, she was a clean slate, and it garnered his confidence.

His expression remained somber as he gestured towards her outstretched hand. "You said not to touch," he stated frankly, studying her face for a long moment before moving past her as Insipid began to speak.

With those words, he acknowledged their new arrangement. It was subtle, but it was the best he could do under the circumstances.

Darth Insipid debated. Teafa had been a bit rough, but Aryan needed to learn. Had Teafa demonstrably shown that she intended to kill Aryan, then Insipid would have had to intervene. She wasn't insane, clearly, just... Damaged. No, damaged wasn't even the word... Her trauma had rewired her.

At the crux of it, Insipid had to trust that they wouldn't kill each other.

Trust, the weakness of all Sith.

Insipid had sought to create trust with Ike, a bond that could withstand anything.

He had failed.

The God-Emperor simply flicked dust from his shoulder. 'I will need to send you back to Darth Kronos shortly. The Rule of Seven has five within it, and so I shall need to find another two.' He allowed himself to suggest that he was among the Seven; he may yet be, if his reading of the rule was incorrect.

If only he had Persevus or the Lorekeeper to hand to compare notes. Even Manticore and his relentless loyalty, would have been ideal. Finding two or three more loyalists would be difficult.

'The precepts of this Rule are being unearthed as we speak. That is what I shall be occupying myself with while you assist in bringing the last of Zakuul into New Moraband.'

Letting her hand drop as it became increasingly clear that Aryan wasn't going to accept it, she watched him struggle to his feet. It was easy to sense the pain radiating from him, if the wince that seemed etched into his face hadn't actually made it clear. Teafa couldn't exactly blame him, as it struck her what she had done. Every time he had touched her, other than on Mortis, she had caused him pain, and here she was actually going against what she had said. That it was a confusing action for him made sense, but it was hardly that for her as she was in control of the situation. Gloves. Should wear. Local store. Maybe. While she figured she could probably get what she needed from the Sith, she didn't want to take anything from them. And also wasn't sure when she would even be going back to Zakuul... or even if she would be. New Morabund was a term that she refused to use, as it didn't reflect the reality of the planet, it was still very much Zakuul and would be for some time to come.

As she considered covering her skin more completely, making it so that no one could touch her, the idea of a mask came to her, and an image emerged within her mind. A purely reflective mirror, blank of all features or expression, simply reflecting reality back at itself came to her, doing what she herself was with her own situation. It was an oddly appealing idea, one that she decided she would pursue at a later date.

A sense of acceptance emanated from Aryan, and she knew that he had agreed for her to be his master. Master. It was an odd thought, one that she hadn't anticipated coming into her life for many years yet, even with the Luka Sene. Aryan then pointed out the conflicting action that she had made in offering him a hand up, reiterating her command not to touch her in a tone that was completely frank but also held a sense of resignation to it. Then he moved past her, careful to maintain some distance between the two.

Turning, she joined him as she heard Insipid begin to speak to them about a Rule of Seven, she could hear the capital letters in his inflection, though what exactly that might be she wasn't sure. Just that she and Aryan were apparently key components of it, which she found odd. Part Rule? How am me? Sense none. Maybe part of it was the simple fact that she had come, which showed... what exactly? She had no idea what Insipid might be reading into the situation, but so far as her personal reasoning had been, it was a simple desire to be as far away from Ike as she could be until she knew whether he was actually going to kill her or not. Perhaps there was a slight undercurrent of wanting to pay off her supposed debt to Insipid, but whether that even actually existed or not was up for debate as far as she was concerned.

Insipid explained that he was going to be unearthing more of an understanding concerning the Rule while they went about the business of securing Zakuul. Apparently they were being sent back to participate in the mission that Ike had set to them originally, which made a certain sort of sense. But she had two questions, one of which she dared not ask in front of Aryan as it concerned her own training, or perhaps more accurately the complete lack of it so far. Instead she addressed the botfly in the ointment of them going back. "Kronos what tell? Disappeared. Suspicious." There was little reason for him to trust the two of them, given that they had clearly gone off on their own, and given his position it seemed highly improbable that he would have no questions. Glancing at Aryan, she determined that it was probably wise to attempt to begin teaching the absolute basics on the trip back. It would tell her a lot about how things were ultimately going to go, and how difficult this whole apprenticeship was going to be. At least the basics she had a firm footing on, though the odds of it being the same as the Sith seemed very improbable to her. Really all that she knew was that they used emotions, and tended towards the darkside, but clearly there was much more to it than that.

TAG: Sinrebirth, HanSolo29, any others that this might somehow have an effect on

 

IC: Darth SerapisCastle Ctal'thua

The castle was over the next mountain ridge as they approached. Serapis could sense the darkness apparent in the castle from here. In the castle? Or in the graveyard? Or both? Either way, it was palpable even from this distance of a click or more. This was definitely the place to be.

Then they came over the mountain and saw the swamps. As he approached, Serapis saw rancors look up. Another lizard-like creature he couldn't identify. Undoubtedly there would be some others in the water itself.

Serapis flew close to the castle. It appeared to be millennia old. Three turrets on what was a classic stone castle. The castle was practically ruins. Quite a disappointment. Serapis had considered making this his own base for a while. "We'll need to dress warm. Probably wear gas masks and eye protection. They're in the back." There was no other protection as far as he could see. Obviously it predated any automatic anti-aircraft blaster fire, or they don't expect aircraft to be a risk, or they depended on the swamp to be the main protection.

The graveyard was nonexistent. Serapis did sense some dark side energies near or around the castle itself. Perhaps there were no headstones, but there was something buried here.

There was also a city nearby. It appeared this had been the home of the leader of the city, the prince or whatever title he'd owned. It was daytime, so he couldn't tell if there was light coming from inside. From what he could sense, though, it appeared to be deserted.

Serapis scouted a ways away from the castle, proper, to see where was most accessible, least amount of animals he'd have to senselessly murder. He my not be able to go to Ithor any more, but he still had respect for "Mother Jungle." "Good job on getting us here! We'll review how to read more later, but I mean that: great job. Put the map away, though. This Lambda-class shuttle has some armament. You should be ready if we need to use it."

He flew low to the ground. That was his first mistake. As he flew by one of the rancors, it jumped. Fortunately Serapis did not have the landing gear down, yet, so it didn't have much to grab onto. It did have a hold on one of the wing joints, though. "I lost one ship to that damned Typhojem! I'm not going to lose one to you, beast!" Its skin was reddish brown. The teeth were huge. Bigger than his boot blades. He whipped the ship around and the monster let go, flying a short way and rolling. It got up and gave chase, but Serapis had taken more elevation now.

If there weren't trees, there was swampy ground. If there wasn't that then there were nests of creatures. Serapis flew to the outside of the swampy ground where it appeared to be narrowest and least filled with creatures.

Landing gear were down and locked now. Before he landed he paused, he examined his surroundings. No creatures nearby. But... something. The onboard sensors echoed that there was nothing in the area and indicated that the ground was sufficiently firm to support his ship. Noting those data, he set down and put the ship into low-power stand-by for easy liftoff. The ships ramp was pointed toward the castle proper.

Something still bugged him, though. Something in the Force nearby. Something malevolent. Something not readable by standard sensors.

Serapis asked Alekto to go back and start to get ready while he sent a status message to Lady Bellorum. No response was coming, but none was needed.

He went back to put on an environment suit fitted to his unique physiology. It had been made especially for him and included places to keep his lightsaber, blaster and knives handy. He also had a pack with some supplies they would need to get across the swamp.

Being suited up and, he thought, sufficiently on guard, Serapis started down the ramp.

TAG: corinthia, Lady Belligerent

 

This combo post has been made possible by Lady Belligerent and readers like you. Thank you.
IC: Osnil
Location: Crew Quarters
Oly Rez had worked his backside off to earn his position of second lieutenant, and he was furious that these Sith clowns were shaking things up. He'd tried to warn some of his fellow crew mates about them, but most didn't listen and some outright dismissed his warnings. He cringed as a droid was dragging off another body. At least it was one of the uppity Chiss that he didn't like at all.

'Careful, Oly chided himself, they claim they can feel strong emotions. Better to keep things calm and cool he'd decided.

The one who they called Osnil was questioning the foolish comms officer, and it was no loss when the Sith murdered him. Oly really had nothing, he wasn't privy to any intell that would help these guys. Let'em test me, he thought, I don't know a thing, and I'll prove it.

Osnil, in the meantime, was trying to gather all the crew into the room so he could prove his point. Mostly everyone was here, so he began, "Mesa was told that there were nosa spies among you. Mesa was lied to. Mesa could have killed all of you, but mesa didn't. Remember that mesa has given yousa another chance. Use it wisely."

Oly shifted his legs and kept standing off to the side where he was just trying to stay off the Sith's radar. They'd been interrogating and working their way through the entire bridge crew, and he'd seen the woman Hesper send some to other parts of the ship.

So far they had ignored him, which was what he really wanted. He'd abandon them and find another job once they left this hell hole planet they were orbiting. Surely they'd go somewhere more civilized where he could find a safer place to work. He could serve caf, or possibly work as a mechanic...anything had to be better than this.

The Sith didn't seem pleased when the ship's claxons started sounding. Oly typed commands into a display beside him. Someone had set off the alarms, but it didn't appear to be a fire or anything catastrophic. He wasn't too concerned until red letter began scrolling across the screen. Blastdoors were sealing, and if they closed the bridge doors he could be stuck in here with these lunatics. "Oh, HELL no!" Oly shouted as he sprinted towards the archway leading through to the main turbo lift banks.

He saw the warning light flash in the upper right corner of the door facing - it was about to slam shut. His lungs were burning from the physical exertion, and his legs were quivering. None of that mattered though. He just wanted to be on the other side of those doors. With one last burst of energy, he just made it to the threshold by falling to the floor and sliding.

Yes! "Screw off you filthy mon -," he muttered as he struggled to crawl the rest of the way past the door threshold. The word 'monsters' died on his lips as the massive blast doors slammed shut just above his waist. The area in front of the lift bank was empty, so there was no one to witness his face contorted with shock, and then the bubbles and blood that drizzled into a pool from silenced lips.

Instead the remaining crew and Sith were treated to a different view. They witnessed the man soil himself, and the instant spray of blood and intestinal contents that splashed the inside of the blast doors.

Osnil shook his head aand was in just as much shock as the crew that witnessed the tradgedy. Then an order from Lady Hesper came-the ship was being taken in a mutiny led by the captain. He was to arrest the crew, unless they resisted, which in that case, they would be killed. But he was going to get Dupy back.

He turned to the crew and said, "Mesa make yousa a deal. Yousa help me get to da Captain, and mesa help yousa out of dis doodoo either by transfer or promotion. Yousa's service won't be forgotten."

A Twi'lek scoffed, "Why shouldn't we just join them? Then we can do whatever we want." He crossed his arms.

"But yousa underestimate da Sith. It's true dat some Sith are barbarians, but theysa are nosa morons. If yousa join mesa, wesa can retake da ship and get yousa out of doodoo with Lady Hesper," replied the Gungan, "Think of it dis way-yousa have three options. Onesa, you join the mutiny. In dat case, yousa goen ta lose-leaven yousa in big doodoo. Twosa, yousa surrender and possibly spend time in prison while theysa torture a confession out of yousa-also leaven yousa in big doodoo. Or, threesa, yousa help mesa, and mesa praise yousa-leaven wesa with a win-win situation. What do yousa say?"

The room stayed silent for about five minutes, as the crew quickly weighed their options. Osnil lay the blasters he'd stripped from the dead at his feet. Finally, a Duros stepped forward, "I'm not about to spend the rest of my life in a room with an interrogation droid." Three more stepped forward, human, Twi'lek, and Chiss. Finally, one more human and a Mon Calamari joined the group.

"Thank yousa," Osnil said as he handed them each a blaster. "The rest of yousa, put yousa's hands where wesa can see dem."

While his team was busy tying up the other crew, he turned his attention to the blast door. He ignited his lightsaber and began to cut a hole in it so they could leave. It was going to take awhile. . .
Tag: corinthia Lady Belligerent WookieeRage and everyone else I haven't mentioned-y'all know who you are.

 

Sub-GM Update

IC: Darth Kronos, Fang Trooper Squadron, and meaningless soldiers - Mission underway, and the Chaos Begins

Each member of Kronos' party had moved along and went to their own devices. Titus had standed there, silently, throughout the entire fiasco moments before, and skulked over to what Kronos assumed was his own ship, although he really did not care one way or the other. And Thunderous had walked up to Esme for a reason unknown to him at that moment, and then opted for the transport ship instead of a shuttle of his own; he assumed, anyway, as Kronos did not see him get into a shuttle. And, Jagall, he.... Well, scratch that. Most of the members went off on their own. Jagal, on the other hand, didn't seem to take a hint, and alternatively followed him, Esmerelda, and his squad of soldiers aboard his shuttle, using Admiral Thrawn as an excuse for his actions for what seemed like the hundredth time. In fact, he was about to retort with a snide "You think I give a damn about what Thrawn ordered?" but, before he could, Jagall the Jedi quickly changed topics, and informed him about their missing persons, Aryan, Teafa, Lenora, and one Stormtrooper.

He responded back with a quick "Thank you. I will make note of this," trying to hide the anger building up in him, while also glancing in the direction of the aforementioned missing shuttle.

Some part of him didn't even know why Jagall irked him so much. After all, he was aware he was only following orders, and there was no substantial feeling of hatred or resentment towards him from the Jedi. He seemed friendly and charming, characteristics held by so many Jedi, Kronos mused. But, at the same time, it was as if the Jedi did not understand boundaries, believing the Chiss' orders to be above all. Maybe that was it. Yes. It must be.

Or, perhaps, could it be a form of jealousy? Hate, anger, and, above all, that feeling of jealously toward Jagall because he was given authority to escort Esme everywhere she goes.

As me moved to his ship, unfortunately with Jagall in tow, he silently sighed, trying to hide those emotions. More than likely, it would be to no avail. Always the observant one, that Jedi was.

Kronos sat down in a small and soft passenger bench located on either side of his shuttle, directly next to his one and only, in complete view of the cockpit's windows so he could see what was in front of them, and gave the signal to launch across his team's coms.

The mission was offically underway.

And as each of their shuttles and ships would near their destination, Kronos would silently sit, the pressure finally starting to get to him. He had never been the leader of anything, let alone a mission as large and important as this. Even as a Jedi, this is true. And, as a Sith, it rang even truer. He was always the follower. Never the leader. And now that the latter was happening to him, he did not know how to properly respond. Everyone involved was counting on him to make the correct decisions, their eyes always on him, watching his every move. One wrong decision, and the entire mission would be jeopardized, and result in him being given the harshest of punishments. Torture, more likely.

With their partnership with the Empire of the Hand, Kronos was given much more authority than he originally had. His very own vessel to command, a specifically chosen squad of soldiers, an Apprentice, now this. His mind absently thought back to his current Apprenice, Darth Osnil, a Gungan. Not the most orthodox choice, in hindsight. But, if he was being honest, Kronos was simply using him as a means to achieve higher rank. Not in the sense he has more people to rule over and dictate, but in a way so he can get more free reign around the Temple. He glanced down at the shiny floor of his shuttle, his distorted reflection staring back at him. He was simply unsure about himself.

A sharp jolt interrupted his deep thoughts and quickly rocked him side-to-side.

He nervously jolted his head upward, eyes shifting in every direction possible to see what was happening.

The shuttle rocked again, this time much more violently.

Kronos stood up. A moronic move, in hindsight.

One final sharp and violent jolt sent the ship flying in an upward-left motion, the shuttle spinning and beginning to collapse to the ground beneath them. Flashing red lights and loud sirens blared throughout the ship, assaulting their ears as it did so. The pilot up front desperately tried to regain control of the ship, but it was all to no avail. It was all tumbling down. Thick, black smoke appeared to seep from the right side, flying past the cockpit window, signaling to everyone aboard what had happened, although it definitely would have been obvious at that point.

They were attacked.

The Silver Raven sped quickly through the destroyed surroundings, and vigorously crashed upon the land below them, sending everyone unfastened careening into multiple walls of the ship, definitely injuring them. Kronos was amongst the ones thrown. He tumbled in almost every corner as he desperately tried to regain his balance. His soldiers violently jolted in their seats, some of the belts being forcefully undone, sending them flying across the ship's passenger area, smashing their bodies into many walls.

Worst of all, Esmerelda would find herself in the midst of the chaos too. The same thing that happened to Kronos' soldiers also occured to her, too. She was sent across the same area. The worst of it; she smashed head into the ceiling and collapsed onto Kronos before falling onto the hard floor below.

Jagall, the ever so calm one that he was, was more likely to regain his balance quicker than the simple Fang Troopers, or the admittedly naive Moff, or the easily angered Sith Lord. As an escort to her, he would at least feel some responsibility to her safety and lessen the blows, with Kronos temporarily indisposed due to the violent crash. Right?

The other ships, too, would feel a blunt of the attack, mainly the troop transport. That would be blown from the right side, causing a massive hole to break out, and sent careening into the scorched-appearing ground below. A decent amount of the trooper inside would end up dead due to severe head trauma, and the others were just extremely lucky. Some were sucked from the transport entirely and killed on impact to the surface.

Thunderous was one of the lucky ones. He would need to get the survivors out as quickly as possible.

The transport crashed in a close proximity to Kronos' personal shuttle, completely on its head, the large hole being their only means of escape. The only problem was that it was facing the two almost monstrous towers.

Two ships were gone. Only one remained.

Titus'. He was their only hope.

But, eventually, thankfully, the chaos subsided, and the ship stopped in its tracks, allowing for everyone inside to regain themselves and get up. In the cockpit, there was no pilot. Only an empty seat, and a broken window. Their pilot was thrown from the shuttle and out in the open, directly in front of their attackers. It was doubtful she was still alive.

Kronos regained himself and bent over to Esmerelda's injured body, as he anxiously felt for a pulse, or... anything, really. He had gone through this enough times already. He did not want it to happen again. Thankfully, there was something. He hoisted her up and quickly helped her out of the ruined ship, angrily ordering his remaining soldiers and Jagall to quickly get out of the ship. The ramp lowered with a loud thud, slamming downward. Everyone would leave bloodied and banged up.

Now outside, Kronos saw the ruined land up close. It was like those horror stories your parents and teachers tell you what happens when you let the land get too polluted, except a million times worse. There was no completely level ground. Each step would feel lopsided, although with a different degree. Kronos did not know what caused the situation. To be honest, he didn't want to.

In front of him was what exactly shot them down; two sizable towers, barrels smoking, and bodies moving. One focusing their blasters on the still flying Titus, whom either evaded the blaster bolts just in time, or was their last target. And the other...

It was pointed directly at the survivors.

"Move!" he immediately shouted, and began dragging the groggy Esme through the sudden chaos, finally gripping his lightsaber and igniting it, taking several worried glanced back to the towers.

The Silver Raven exploded. It sent everyone near it flying in the opposite direction from the sheer impact alone. Everyone collapsed.

Blood poured from Kronos' mouth. He spit it out to the side.

Getting up, and aiding Esme along the way, Kronos switched his comlink on, and ordered at Titus. "Titus. You're our only man in the air. Obliterate those goddamn towers before they-"

A dark red blaster bolt whizzed past Kronos and Esme's faces, in a very close proximity to them. A few centimeters to the right, and the two would have died right then and there. Death had just toyed with them.

Turning around, it became clear that Heskal sent his own soldiers to attack them alongside those towers. The fire engulfed Raven would not work as cover, and the troop transport would most definitely be blown to pieces if Titus failed. But, at the same time, it was their only hope. So, he led his men there, dodging and deflecting blaster bolts as he did so.

They were lucky in that they made it safely. He carefully sat Esme down and leaned her against the transport shuttle's wall. He moved over to his medic. "You. Tend to her wounds."

His voice sounded through his helmet, albeit shaky and nervous. "But, sir. What about you?"

"I'm fine." He wiped blood off of his face.

"But-"

"I said I'm fine. Do not question my orders again. Tend to her wounds."

He quickly nodded. A sign of submission. It appeared his "truly loyal" soldiers were not quite that after all. It seemed some molding still needed to be done.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the pilot moving in agony. Thinking quickly, Kronos yanked her into cover with the Force; a move that exhausted him more than it should have. "Best do the same to her too," he coldly said to the medic.

Thunderous and his men would have been arriving by then. Or, the survivors would be, at least. Kronos counted a dozen.

He began to address the team, even Titus. "We have a new situation. Obviously. Now we need to push through with force. Thunderous. You will take a small group of soldiers there," he pointed to their left. "and push them back from there. Jagall. You and I will do the same tactic from the opposite side, accompanied with them," he gestured to the remaining Fang Troopers who would be useful. "The remaining soldiers will push from the front. Titus has the towers. We will box them in and take them out. They appear to be hiding in the structure of the building. Or what's left of it. Titus, do not aim for the building. Remember, we need this sniviling coward alive. And FT-005. Keep the wounded safe."

He waited for questions.

"Alright. Move. Now."

Kronos, who was then accompanied by Jagall and the three troopers, set off, darting across the land and endlessly deflecting bolts, some shooting them. Thunderous, if he had listened, would be doing the same.

The new and desperate multi-pronged attack had begun.

TAG: Sinrebirth Darth_Elu PCCViking Darth Master Titus

 

Darth Hades and Lady Bellorum Combo
Outside the Temple of Izax, New Moraband

"Shall I prepare a medical capsul?"​

​

The Dawn Herald studied the protocol droid trying to decide if he was serious. At first his complaints and grumbling had been vexing, and quite a nuisance.​

​

But, he was starting to grow on her and she found some of his comments amusing."If you'd like to try and wrestle the Nepenthaceae to release him," Bellorum answered, "I'll be happy to record the act."​

​

The Dawn Herald smirked at the droid, "I'm curious if they eat metal."The bulb like sac of the Nepenthaceae was now filled with pulpy human liquid that was sloshing as the breeze moved through the plant growth.​

​

"We should probably get past that big guy while he's distracted with his meal," she told the team around her.​

​

She pulled her beskad from it's sheath and used it to slice through a large stalky vine. It should work better than a machete for clearing her path.​

​

"Grab my gear, droid," she ordered VPO. "Do you go by a name or is 'droid' sufficient?"​

​

"Hades, I believe your men have located the entrance," Bellorum asked as he had joined the group standing outside her shuttle.​

​

There was a path of cobblestone, but it was mostly covered in moss and vines. The area had been untouched for so long that the plant life had taken their land back, and they wouldn't surrender ground easily. This was their domain now.​

​

The first section of the grove, that was adjacent to the empty stone foundations, was mostly waist high plants with soft, velvety leaves. Each one had solid stalks that pulsed as if blood were pumping through veins under its green fleshy skin.​

​

Bellorum walked up to the edge and scored one of the pulsing stalks with the blade of her beskad. The indentation in the stalk welled up with a thick pink fluid, and it slowly beaded up and then ran down the stalk to puddle at the base of the plant.​

​

"Someone take samples and see about identifying this one," Bellorum ordered as she stepped past and scraped moss off the stone path with the toe of her boot.​

​

~~​

​

Hades pulled on his breathing mask and ignited one of his lightsabers. “Sergeant Finis,” He intoned through the speaker. “We are clearing a path down to where you are. Hold Position. Hekate, You are in charge of taking the samples as we make our way down.”The team began foreward, lead by the Dawn Herald. Hades moved up beside Lady Bellorum and began clearing a path alongside the one she was clearing.​

​

The temple was around 100 meters below them down a slight incline. It wasn’t rough terrain, but it was thick with foliage.​

​

Half way down the incline, was when things got interesting. Vines whipped out at them from large plants, much like the one that had eaten Foedus, but these were a larger variety, dark green and a deep deep red.​

​

It was now time to fight for survival.“Sergeant, make your way from below to us!”​

​

As he said it, a vine wrapped around his body and he was stung with a thorn. He felt it squirt some sort of liquid, most likely a poison of some sort. The effects were immediate.​

​

Hades watched as things switched to bright hues and swirling patterns of color, colors that then faded to a gray and black and the vines gripping at him became a dripping black tentacle oozing a foul smelling ichor.​

​

And then, it was her there with him...again. “WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME!?!?!”​

​

She didn’t answer Hades. He slashed at the black tentacles and was freed and then he twisted and faced Abeloth.​

​

The Dawn Herald had vines slam towards her. She slashed with her beskad at them and evaded being grabbed.​

​

Hekate was also now faced with thick vines grabbing at her, as well.​

​

Below, as Finis and his men moved up the incline, they fought the vines as well. It was a perfect trap for the carnivorous plants.​

​

Two of the 10 Troopers were grabbed and their necks snapped, their bodies deposited in huge fleshy sacs.​

​

Finis moved expertly with four others. These Troopers must have been with him a long time, as they moved as one and needed no words to coordinate their attacks. The three other Troopers were firing wildly, obviously highly dangerous and not trained well enough to be of any real use.​

​

Morrigan stood in front of Hades as he screamed at her. She understood something wasn’t right, but she didn’t know what and really did not want to fight a Sith, though her new master may not leave her any choice.​

TAG: Nehru_Amidala, Darth Rozic, dragonsith13, Lady Belligerent

​

​

 

IC: Darth Hekate

Hekate took notice of the vines, and summoned Travis to attack. He turned himself into an ice wand, and Hekate used her glaciate skill to freeze the vines. When they had frozen a good portion of the path directly ahead, Hekate began placing bits and pieces into containers, as Lord Hades had commanded her. Inside the containters, they did look pretty. Like some sort of art display. However, freezing plants took a lot more concentration than Hekate felt like using at the moment, her mind was focused on the end goal of obtaining the Necronomicon of Baal. She unsheathed her lightsaber and began hacking at the bothersome vines.

"Good thinking, I'll continue freezing," Trav remarked off-handedly as he continued to freeze plants left and right. Hekate then picked up samples along the way. Working together would her task ahead all the more easier.

Tag: @corinthia @Mikaboshi @E. L.Knight @Darth Rozic @Nehru_Amidala @DarthIshyZ

 

IC: Thunderous

Thunderous understood the orders Darth Kronos had issued. He ordered his men to accompany him in the indicated direction. Almost immediately, they were greeted by blaster fire. But it wasn't enough to stop Thunderous. Activating his lightsaber, he effortlessly deflected the bolts back at the enemy troops, dropping them one by one.

If all went according to plan, they should reach their objective quickly. Yet, as they proceeded, the enemy troops gave way easily, perhaps a little too easily. He reached out with the Force, trying to determine if they were setting a trap.

It was almost too late. He directed his troops to halt, just in time as a large explosion destroyed the ground they would have crossed over.

"Booby traps, sir!" one of the soldiers said.

Thunderous glared at him. "Thank you for pointing out the painfully obvious. Contact Darth Kronos and Moff Esmerelda immediately. If the enemy has set up traps here, then there are likely traps everywhere."

"Yes, sir."

Thunderous thought about his next move. They needed to move quickly, if they were to follow the plan, but it wouldn't be wise to rashly push through and get all of his men killed. He wasn't sentimental by any means, but he was practical. The fewer men he had, the fewer that would be available for the final assault.

He snarled under his breath. Sometimes, practicality had to give way to obedience, and it appeared this would be one of those times. "I'll go first. Follow my path precisely. Disobedience will mean death at the enemy's hand or my own."

The troops gulped and nodded. Good. Focusing his senses on the ground ahead, he pressed on, ready for whatever awaited them.

TAG: Sinrebirth Darth Kronos

 

IC: Darth Cocytus

Cocytus noticed Hesper's look in her eyes and nodded. Yes, treachery is natural among the Sith and their allies. It's part of the natural order and how the universe works. However, this is different. The Sith are privileged to rule the galaxy through their connection and power over the Force and improve themselves with cunning and backstabbery. Inferior 'ordinary' beings, on the other hand, are simply meant to serve with all forms of rebellion and treachery being utterly crushed by their superior Sith Masters.

Just like what must be done now. Cocytus's glowing sith eyes flickered as he too felt the uneasiness in the Force. Mutiny was merely a heartbeat away. He took a heal turn and watched as Hesper shoot a defiant imperial female dead before panic ensued. The kaminoan summoned both his twin curved lightsabers and activated them upon his master's command to begin the slaughter. Finally some more fun., Cocytus thought with a psychotic smile on his face.

Like a crazed, ricocheting bullet, Cocytus flew and bounced around the Communication room, butchering, slaughtering and striking down the rebels from where they stood with his typically dance-like foot work. Others were not so lucky to suffer such quick deaths. Some Sith Priest apprentice strangled to death and others were barbecued by a fierce storm of Sith Lighting. Darth Cocytus reveled in their deaths and suffering with intoxicating glee, feeding on their agony to increase his own power in the Dark Side. As soon it began, however, the massacre ended, leaving behind a mess of bodies hacked to pieces, strangled or burnt by blade and the dark side. Only a single imperial was left alive, cowering beneath his desk in surrender.

Once the slaughter was over, Cocytus gracefully walked out of what was left of a Communication room to meet up with his fellow Sith Lords. He finding more imperials in a panic in the halls. Obviously more mutineers. Smirking with the re-activation of the lightsabers, the kaminoan charged and spun as he struck down all those unfortunate to be in his path. Like before, Cocytus left behind a mess of corpses scattered about in a gruesome disarray of limbs, torsos and heads.

The kaminoan would continue his journey to meet with Ravenous and the others, cutting down every and any imperial unfortunate enough to be in his path, regardless if they surrendered or not.

Tag: corinthia, WookieeRage, Darth Osnil, QueenSabe7, Lady Belligerent

 

GM UPDATE

IC: Gan & Hel -- The Fortress, Boneyard, New Moraband
(combo with Lady Belligerent)

Hel urged Gan to hurry and kept glancing back to see if he was behind her. "Can you get me to wherever my gear is stored?" Hel whispered to Gan. The guards had taken the weapons, and other items that she and Draconis had been carrying when they were taken prisoner. One of the drooling monsters had tried to activate the lightsaber that Haretisch had given her, and instead he managed to drop it. She'd been angry at herself for thinking how she'd never activated once herself, and she certainly loathed that sleemo handling it.

"I-" Gan hesitated, thinking frantically of where Vonn would have had the Sith's weapons and belongings stored. Probably they had lightsabers, and he reasoned that the captain wouldn't have left something so rare and valuable just lying around. He might have even taken them for himself. "They might be in Vonn's office, but I don't have a key."

He fell to silence and thought more... then a light bulb went off. "But I know who might. The jailer, Hakkar. He's Vonn's right hand. He'll have a key." Gan smiled in nervous relief when he realized that pursuit of the jailer would carry them to Jason. "I'll show you the way-watch out!" he exclaimed, and ducked behind Hel as two guards came walking around the corner, armed with blasters. A smarter man would have tried to talk his way out of it, but Gan was a man for whom poise and wit were in short supply.

Hel cringed at Gan's shouts. He might as well had set off a flare and homing beacon so everyone knew where they were. Fortunately the two guards were startled at seeing Hel, and it took them valuable seconds to free their blasters from holsters and fire.

The trooper who managed to fire on her wasn't a very good aim, and it took very little effort for her to slow the bolt and then fling it harmlessly into the wall. She'd pulled both blasters to her outstretched hands, and turned them on the stunned guards. "Where is Hakkar," she demanded.

"Uh," the left guard stammered while the right one took a step back, hand creeping to his sidearm. "He's in the armory," he managed to say, as his comrade pulled a blaster pistol and leveled it at Gan. "Traitor!" he yelled.

Gan responded with a loud yelp, high pitched and born more of his throat than his lungs. At the same time, he threw his hands up limp-wristedly and flapped his hands in fear of being shot.

Hel squeezed the triggers of both blasters before the guard could fire on Gan. She'd had no choice when he drew a weapon, and they needed to get moving. Hel had felt the arrival of the Sith strike team, and she'd recognized the unmistakable signature of her father in the Force. Oh, yes... he was nearby and he was furious.

"Stop it," Hel ordered Gan, "you aren't helping." Jeez, she was really starting to wonder if he could be a Gungan disguised as a man. "Search those two, and for kriffing sake, grab their blasters."

"Ok, ok," Gan acquiesced, attempting to calm his pounding heart as he walked to the fallen Regulators. Seeing them dead and vulnerable afforded an opportunity for wrath that didn't typically present itself, and after he had looted a blaster and a set of keys he couldn't resist sending a swift kick into the temple of one of them.

"Let's go. I'll show you the way," he said with renewed resolve, now brandishing a blaster of his own as the two of them trekked through halls and ascended stairs.

The halls were conspicuously empty, owing perhaps to the sounds of battle emanating from outside. Explosions and blasterfire could be heard, distant, though they drew nearer with every moment. It was a safe assumption that the guards who might usually have been patrolling the fortress were instead moving toward whatever threat had presented itself.

It was partially this which had emboldened Gan, at least for the moment, and he walked with a renewed sense of confidence toward the armory where Hakkar presumably waited. Too long had he allowed these... these thugs to pervert and twist the power of his title and birthright. To use him like a tool. To subjugate and humiliate him day after day.

Gan was fuming as he approached the door to the armory, having worked himself into a near frenzy with his reflections, and neglected to stop and form a plan with Hel when he found himself before it's door. Instead, he slammed a button on the panel next to it with his palm, and stormed inside to see Hakkar and a pair of lackeys caught unawares.

"SURPRISE, MOTHER KRIFFERS!" he shrieked, and unleashed a hail of blasterfire.

Hakkar, for his part, was too surprised to do anything but flinch with each shot that sailed wide. When the barrage ceased, he opened an eye tentatively and took quick stock of his physical faculties to find himself fully intact. His allies, too, were untouched. Behind, however, the wall was riddled with evidence of the shots Gan had missed.

Hel had felt that he was about to do something rash just as he keyed the door open, and her mouth opened to tell him to stop, but it was too late. Her eyes darted to the left and right to a shiny hilt on the desk...it was the hilt of her grandfather's lightsaber!

"Oops," Gan muttered in embarrassment, and stood frozen as all three Regulators drew blasters and opened fire.

Hel's hand opened as the hilt soared into it with a solid smack, and her eyes widened as the emerald blade sprung to life and bathed her face in its verdigris glow. Just in time. Briskly she went to work, deflecting blaster bolts back towards the two guards, felling them with their own attacks, and leaving just Hakkar himself. A strangled wail was all that escaped his lips as he was engulfed by force lightning from Hel's free hand, and hurled like a ragdoll against the ceiling before coming to rest in a dead and smoking heap.

"Yeah! Not so big now are we?!" Gan shouted, jumping from behind Hel to prance around Hakkar's mutilated body. "Here's the key," he said exuberantly as he yanked it free of the dead man's belt. "Now let's get your stuff and find Jas-" the ceiling burst before he could finish his sentence.

As the room caved in, all went black.

~

IC: Captain Horus -- Rotted Highway, Boneyard, New Moraband

The ground was humming with a steady throb. A short distance up the highway Regulators were marching by the hundreds, shoulder to shoulder, towards Chaos Company.

Horus ran gloved fingers along the seam at his neck where his helmet sealed, the reminder that it was airtight providing an odd sense of security.

"Your thoughts, captain?" Alva's voice snapped him to attention. The apprentice of Haretisch had cleverly rearranged a pile of starship scrap into a street-spanning barricade. Now he was suggesting a surprise attack.

"This is already a bottleneck, milord," Horus shook his head. "The streets are blocked otherwise. We've already set charges up the path for a tactical retreat - we'll take a chunk out of them when we do get pushed back," he explained, directing sharpshooters to station at the high windows, and filling every available slot along the barricade with a man. The Regulators' reliance on melee weapons was an advantage when one could fire through the holes in the twisted metal framework that formed the wall. "They're close," he urged, "If you've got a plan then let's hear it. Otherwise we're just buying time."

Behind them, blasters erupted along the wall, as the encroaching Horde of Regulators came over a hill and into view, rushing the barricade even as they were cut down methodically by the entrenched Stormtroopers. "Too late," Horus mused, and turned to scale a pile of refuse at the edge of the parapets. Peering over the wall, he saw them. Swarming like insects, charging headlong into a rain of death.

"Maybe we can flank them with a small group," Horus yelled to Alva from his perch, and pointed to an alley leading into a doorway. "It's a deathwish but if we go through the buildings we can come out behind or on side of them."

With that he hopped down, bracing his knees as he landed. "Blade, Spitfire, Clank," he beckoned, and three Death troopers turned from the wall. "Sir," they answered in unison. Horus simply gestured to Alva. "Lead the way, milord."

TAG: Isley_27

~

IC: Darth Haretisch -- The Fortress, Boneyard, New Moraband

Darth Haretisch could feel the rage pouring off of Reiss Invadator. She had lost control. Entirely. She had suffered an absolute lapse in decorum, and had gone so far as to openly disrespect a Dark Lord of the Sith.

"Alva...Turn every building in the transports' path to rubble. They're on the rooftops. I don't care about collateral damage. I don't care about Thrawn's magnanimous rule. They're in our way. Kwea, Invadator, strafe the west towers and draw the fire away. They'll be in range soon."

His voice was clear as a bell on the comm. No less clear, in his own mind, were his instructions. Why would he have ordered the turret fire drawn away if he intended that the turrets be destroyed? Such failures were, perhaps, the price of employing virtual children as movable pieces in a battle. Even hardened ones like Kwea and Invadator.

"My orders were clear. And I have little time to argue with whelps who are scarcely better than droids at basic exercises in critical thinking," he turned toward the opening in the wall, where the enemy was still reeling. "Search the rubble of the South tower. If Hel dies, so will you," he regarded the pair with a smug wink and a crooked smile, though his voice was gravely serious. With a snap-hiss, his lightsaber sprung to life again, and he dashed through the opening to disappear in the haze of battle.

TAG: Halle Dray, Anakin.Skywalker

~~~

IC: Darth Kralkus -- The Citadel, Sanctorium, New Moraband

Two Mandalorians approached from the front. "Ni'll shekemir hat alorir," one called. Presumably it was some Mando'a nonsense or whatever that awful language was called.

A pair of vibroknives came flying towards the tiny master once more - a predictable move at this point by Psycho. Saxon attacked at the same time, engaging a flamethrower mounted to his wrist as he went airborne via his jetpack. Ah! Finally something slightly unexpected.

And as if two attacks at once weren't enough, Xauder Dhoj had darted in at the last moment, striking out from behind with lightsaber in hand.

Child's play, Kralkus thought.

First he sidestepped. Like a serpent he writhed, turning side-on to the knives sailing towards him through the air, and slipping through the space between. Being small had its advantages. Then with not more than a moment to spare, he threw up a sturdy force barrier to stem the tide of the flames, and waited. Xauder was approaching. With precise timing, he leapt into the air and broke off the barrier, instead giving the Falleen a sturdy force shove from behind, which would send him stumbling into the flames. Kralkus, meanwhile, had aimed his leap directly for the still airborne Saxon, flipping in midair to land upright on the Mandalorian's back.

"Hrrrmmmm," he purred in the man's ear. "Tasty do you smell!" he laughed, and sunk his teeth into Saxon's shoulder.

TAG: Captain Owen, Jax Nova, SkooterDawg

 

IC: Reiss Invadator

"My orders were clear. And I have little time to argue with whelps who are scarcely better than droids at basic exercises in critical thinking. Search the rubble of the South tower. If Hel dies, so will you."

Haretisch disappeared into the opening he had just created.

Reiis was silent -- rigid with rage. She had half a mind to kill this Hel if they found her, just to get to him, but that would be pointlessly reckless. She cast a quick glance at her Master, and started in Haretisch's direction.

TAGS: Darth_wanderguard, Halle Dray

 

IC: Darth Alva
Boneyard - Rotten Highway

"This is already a bottleneck, milord..The streets are blocked otherwise. We've already set charges up the path for a tactical retreat, we'll take a chunk out of them when we get pushed back," said Captain Horus. No sooner as Troopers were placed along the top of the wall had they already begun firing upon Regulators attempting to scale the heap barricade. "Eager to die, aren't they. Then we will satisfy their impulses," Alva said to himself.

The Captain turned to Alva "They're close..if you've got a plan then let's hear it," with the enemies closing in a plan of action needed to be taken. "Too late," he said a second later, but Alva had idea. He gathered the dark side energies of the force, then opening his palm a shadowy mass began to form. After a few moments it took the shape of a sphere, resembling an eye.

"Maybe we can flank them with a small group..it's a death wish but if we go through the buildings we can come out behind or on the side of them," Alva smiled. "Will have the power of the dark side to give us the edge." Releasing the concentrated eye-like orb into the air, Alva could feel his sense of sight and hearing extend farther, then farther still as the orb flew higher. So far out that he could now see the Regulators, not just the Regulators, but almost half of Boneyard in his mind's eye.

The Captain summoned a small group of three Death troopers, "Lead the way, milord."

Alva gave a quick glance at the Death troopers that had lined up "You men show me the supposed elite training of the Death troopers, we will be moving in the shadows. Set your commlinks, we will picking them off while their attention is focused on trying to get over the wall." The troopers a gave a salute to acknowledge they understood the situation, Alva continued "Don't stray off too far or you will compromise the operation, take them out quietly, silence your weapons, do whatever you have to do but do not engage if you know you will be discovered." Alva turned back to Captain "If we fail I will hold them back as long as I can, but make no mistake I will not be saving the weak, the men will fend for themselves."

The Regulator forces continued to press their attack; thankfully only a small number had managed to get over the blockade, just to be shot down by the scout snipers. The units were ready and in position in case it turned to another all out assault. Meanwhile Alva and the small brigade made their way to the back alleyways of the path, moving through building after building without been seen. Still utilizing the eye of madness technique, Alva could still see the conflict. Most of the Regulator's main units had their attention to the wall, while there were small groups of no more five or six several meters away to keeping watch. "We'll need to be quick to take down their scouts," Alva said to the group as they crept along the hollowed buildings. The team was now on the other side of the wall, inching closer to the first unsuspecting group.

Alva whipped out both his daggers. The three men followed closely, revealing their weapons of choice and living up to code names. Blade had two retractable arm blades from his wrists. Spitfire carried two dual pistols armed with silencers, while Clank wielded a battery charged stun pike. Alva and his men were now just a few feet away from the scouts, so close they could hear a conversation being carried on, "We got em concerned now!" said one man, "My question is how the hell did they manage to get a damn wall up in the first place?!" another asked, "They have Sith in their ranks, remember genius? They can do things like that!" One by one each person would chime in their opinions, "Their like the Jedi." Said a scout, "That's not what I heard...someone told me their like monsters how will kill without reason, they-" The scout stopped mid sentence, choking and gagging for air then collapsing to the ground. Alva stroke first, dashing forward to grab hold of a one men, cutting his throat, and leaving three remaining. Blade followed, ramming one of his blades into his victim's heart, killing him instantly. One man didn't even have time to react as Spitfire shot off his pistols which stroke his hip, then his head a split second later. Clank made quick work of the last, slapping his pike in the scout's face and knocking out cold. Alva raised his hand to signal for the group widened out and pick off stragglers "Keep the bodies out of sight if you can," Alva said in a low voice over his commlink.

The plan was working perfectly. Regulators that had wondered off seem to disappear, while others were lured to their execution just to investigate something they heard in a corner ally. Everything went off without a hitch, or so it seemed.

"Master Alva," a voice came over the commlink "This is Spitfire, I..I let one slip away from me. I tried to take down a group of three, but I couldn't kill the last one..he ran off towards the main units." Like his master earlier, Alva's angry began to build, "You blasted idiot!" his voice was still low but rage could still be detected, "I said DON'T engage if there's a high risk of being discovered!"

Alva paused for a moment to think, no doubt the element of stealth was now in question "What are your orders?," said Blade over his link. Alva gritted his teeth, then spoke, "Everyone keep on your guard. They could be sending groups back to snuff us out. Continue as before but do not, I REPEAT DO NOT, strike if there is high risk involved." Immediately there was a simultaneous "Roger!" from the team. After relaying orders, Alva focused on his eye technique once more. Just as predicted, saw a group of twenty men breaking away from the main army to check the status of their scouts.

Though the situation had increased in difficulty, Alva did see a better performance from the troopers. Their executions were more precise and thought out. Amazingly the group had manage to dwindle down the curious Regulators who had broken off to just two figures who seem to be in leading positions. Alva now saw a chance to turn the tide of the battle back over to the Chaos Company's favor.
"New plan gentlemen, we going to take those two and use them for our advantage. Blade and Clank, retrieve them and bring them to my location. Spitfire you provide cover," he said to them.

Not soon after Alva saw his orders being carried out. The two men were brought to the emptied building where Alva was waiting. Their hands were tied as they were escorted by Blade and Clank, while Spitfire had his pistols to their backs.

Once inside the troopers forced them to their knees. Alva approached, looking at them straight in eyes. "Here's what's going to happen, I know you have a way to get in touch with your army outside. One of you will relay a message to divide your forces up as if the main units are being assaulted by us a few miles back down the path," Alva's voice was direct and cold. "And why should we do that, you Sith trash?" There was a sarcastic tone in one of the leader's voice. Alva reached out and held the man up with the force "Because I told you, that's why," Alva grabbed a dirty cloth from the ground and stuffed it into his captive's mouth," Looking at the other leader, Alva smiled "Watch closely or this could be you too." He ignited his lightsaber, it's red glow illuminated part of the room. He held the tip of the blade right up against the gagged man's face, then forcefully pressed it to his cheek. The cries of pain and agony were muffled by the cloth as Alva again pressed his saber to other cheek, then his neck, and soon to different parts of the body.

"Are you watching?!" He said with a raised sadistic voice to the other leader, his face was stroke with terror, as Alva seared the flesh off his victim. Once satisfied, Alva dropped the cauterized body. "Are you going to cooperate, or will I have to sear you as well?" The man shook his head in agreement, "Very good...make it happen, and try to make it sound convincing," Alva switched channels to his commlink "Captain Horus, this is Alva, I may have found a way for us to win this fight."

He continued to relay the plan to the Captain.

Tag Darth_wanderguard

 

IC: Kwea Acantha

Kwea had to fight the strong urge to roll her eyes in front of Haretisch but as soon as he turned she let them whirl. Her mind was spinning with some very colorful phrases that her mouth was begging to let go of.

No way had she worked this hard, fought this long, to be called a whelp. She wasn't stupid. He had said he didn't care about collateral damage and he had used the word strafe. Thinking back to the Jedi temple, she had learned her vocabulary well. They had attacked the towers repeatedly and yes, he did say draw the fire away, which they had. None of it made sense anymore to Kwea.

Her apprentice flashed her a look and followed the elder. Blowing hot air out of her flared nostrils, Kwea gritted her teeth and stomped off after them.

Stop acting like a child, she scolded herself. The childish side of her told the more reasonable part to go do something not worth repeating.

Arriving at the South tower's remains, Kwea told Reiis to go to the left and she'd take the right. Picking her way through the still smoldering chunks of debris, the young woman called out, "Hel!"

Something was off. Haretisch didn't care about people like that. At least not enough to save them from rubble. Maybe this was a relative. Ooh, or a lover? Nah, that's Bellorum, Kwea thought.

"Hel?" she hollered while searching the rubble, "Look, I don't know who the kriff you are but Haretisch wants you." Best not disappoint him like I did, she added mentally as sweat caused by the heat from the blaze rolled down her being.

TAGS: Darth_wanderguard Anakin.Skywalker

 

IC: Reiis Invadator

Her Master has told her to take the left side, so she did. There was rubble and debris everywhere, and it was very hot due to the fire ablaze not far away. Sweating, Reiis continued into the mess. Reaching out with the Force, Reiis searched for this...Hell. Nothing made any sense. Suddenly, a mission to overtake this city became Haretisch's own personal agenda. She couldn't imagine the Triumvirate approving, but then again, they were probably knew. Reiis cursed her fortune under her breath. Haretisch hadn't killed them yet, but he might be waiting for the right moment.

"Hell!" she yelled. "Heeeeeeeeeellllllllll!"

Yelling probably wasn't a good idea, but, what the hell?

Reiis chuckled at her own pun in her mind, and immediately felt stupid. What kind of fool named their kid...hell? Okay, maybe it wasn't spelled that way..but still. Reiis continued walking, dismissing most living beings in the Universe as stupid and foolish.

A cold blast in the Force stopped her in her tracks. She felt. . . fear. . . and pain. She fell to her knees as the feelings washed over her. Images flashed before her. A figured, entirely cloaked in black . . . but not alive . . . but, yes, it was alive. . . but not. . . It was standing, looking at her. It might have been human, but no humanity was left in this being. It stared at her, reaching out as if it was trying to grab something that belonged to it. . . .It didn't even have a face. . .

And then it vanished. Reiis trembled. What was that?! Who? Where? When?

It was a long time before Reiis continued walking.

TAGs: Darth_wanderguard, Halle Dray

 

IC: Xel Saxon,
The Citadel, Sanctorium, New Moraband

The plan was taking place, Xel ferociously leaped into the air with elegance and began to aim his flamethrower directly at the small green creature standing still, and blasting out flames, hoping this will blind him meanwhile Phsyco's Abberation took place, using precise accuracy to aim the flames right into the eyes of the short creature that lurked before him, Xel thrusted back using his jet pack to avoid the creature, countering the flames back at him. Whilst still airborne the small green creature was avoiding all attacks, and then proceeded to leap at Saxon, landing right on his back, on his Mandalorian armour.

"Hrrrmmmm," he purred in the man's ear. "Tasty do you smell!" he laughed, and sunk his teeth into Saxon's shoulder. This caught Xel completely off guard and he lost control of his jet pack, and crashed down onto the rigid surface beneath them, this did little damage to the Mandalorian, as his armour kept him secured. Wondering what the next moves of the group would be, whilst recovering the small amount of stamina Xel lost whilst falling to the ground. Xel cautiously crawled backwards, awaiting something to happen.

OOC: My apologies for such a short reply.

 

Draconis
Prison block - Boneyard - New Moraband

“… Lock down the cell block!” The dura-steel door slammed shut rather quickly at the far end of the block with cages lining either side of the dimly lit area filled with pockets of shadow and darkness.

They were sealed in, all of them… The Captain and his trio of guards. Draconis.

The guards were menacing, looking formidable as they were no doubt skilled to be flanking the Captain and in tow as his personal guards. Draconis was only barely out of their reach, waiting and watching them… cloaked and in shadow. The dim lights of the cell block, who flickered quite normally and often as a regular item, seem to repeat their normal pattern of power fluctuations. Coming back to life after a few flickers.

They flickered again, this time more rapidly and sporadically. Suddenly the cell block went black and stayed such. Only the faint light of the outside sun through gaps in the jungle covered prison walls made it through.

A massive push at the Captain’s back was aimed as he stood near the entrance of the now empty cage, as instantly thereafter one of the guards felt a tug felt his body wretched up as he was flung up hard against the cage, snapping his neck, his lifeless body fell to the cold prison floor as the pole-arm he’d held fell to the prison floor with a clang. The heavy blaster guard squinted trying to sight in something that flashed by, as the massive Warhammer wielding guard swung into the air striking nothing but felt a sharp pain in his side. The guard wielding the blaster began to open fire the blaster fire lighting up the dark corridor in flashes of red. A hooded silhouette flashed back and forth as if caught in a strobe, as he tried to cut him down with blaster fire but missed. The clanking sound of chain on the floor and a whipping sound through the air as the guard felt his legs tighten as a chain wrapped around and yanked him off his feet. The Warhammer wielding guard went to raise his arms but felt another sharp pain in his side as he cringed, swinging and missing at something that moved in the darkness. The blaster wielding guard was trying to unfurl the chain around his leg when he felt it pull tight and was lurched and dragged down the cell block further into the darkness, his grunts and yell suddenly going silent. The Warhammer wielding guard was struggling to stand as two massive gashes in either side of his armor showed deep lacerations into his sides, blood flowing down as he stumbled and fell over into the bars of one of the cages.

It all happened in a flash… three guards dispatched. Draconis was coming down the cell block way towards where the open cage entrance where he last left the Captain.
Then the darkness was cut as a yellow lightsaber hissed to life, and the face of Captain Vonn was visible in its radiance, impassive. The assassin's force push had staggered him, but only momentarily and only owing to the element of surprise. His retinue having been decimated was of little consequence - they were a liability if anything, more likely to get in the way than to be of any use. Vonn needed no help to fell a Sith.

"Come, assassin," he hissed, lightsaber held at ready, force lightning crackling at his fingertips. "You shall know the power of a Knight of Zakuul."

Ting. Ting… Ting…….. Ting. The sound of steel against iron bars tapping, as if drawn across in succession with a brief and longer pause between each one was heard from within the darkness of the block. The faint yellow glow ahead lighting up the outline and facial features of the Captain standing with force lightning crackling at his fingertips poised. A wave of fear emanated from Draconis as he came forward closer now to being revealed. The Captain projected a stalwart and fearless nature, not fearing the Sith in general. That was good! Draconis could feel The Captain’s vitriol for his kind, it was deep hatred that flowed, that could be tapped into and fed on and from.

“Now… now Captain you know it is not nice to lock people in cages…”Draconis casually snarled through the Darkness. Truth be told Draconis locked people in cages all the time, and subsequently did far worse to them. Draconis reached out grasping the pole-arm laying on the floor next to the dead guard. Using the force to fling it up towards the Captain. More an annoyance than anything as the bulky weapon would be seen even in the dim light one would think.

Vonn saw the attack coming, and halted the polearm in mid flight without moving a muscle. It was easy - too easy. A feint, nothing more. He wouldn't take the bait.

"It is so very much like your kind to hide, and to strike from the shadows," he taunted, still motionless but for his eyes which scanned every corner of the room, ready to react the moment Draconis summoned the bravery to strike.

The pole-arm halted, clearly the Captain was not amused… with Draconis’ toying with him. The Captain subsequently goading him to engage and come out of the shadows, even to the point of calling into question his temperament. Draconis let time slip by, allowing the air to grow stagnant as he purposefully ignored the Captain and his overtures for a few moments longer, letting the frustration potentially build in his supposed assumption about Draconis. Ting. Ting…. Ting…. Closer now.
"Come out!" the Captain roared, his patience wearing thin. He absolutely despised being played games with. "Fight with honor, gutless coward!"

Draconis could feel the Captain’s anger growing, time was ticking by. The insults thrown at Draconis meant nothing, owing to the fact that they were baseless. No more than attempts to break Draconis’ own concentration. The time was approaching soon, when the Captain might get his wish. The fallen guards hammer slide across and aimed at sweep the Captain’s legs as it, as it was manipulated by Draconis and thrown at speed towards his legs.

A powerful wave of force energy flowed down the cell block towards the Captain, a wave of darkness to confuse him potential feed his growing frustration. Yet Still no direct physical attack from Draconis came as he was still just beyond in the darkness.

With a hiss, the hammer was rent in twain by the captain's blade, and sailed clear on either side. The wave of energy that followed might have sent most combatants flying, but Vonn was formidable in his command of the force - every bit a match to Draconis... and possibly more. Still, he couldn't simply cast the attack aside effortlessly - it still struck him like a hammer to the chest. He nearly buckled. Nearly staggered. Was nearly left vulnerable. Nearly, but not quite. With a sharp exhale, he took on the chin whatever of the attack he could not dissipate, and kept his footing.

Where it had not succeeded in felling Captain Vonn, however, it had succeeded in inciting him. Still poised, but with rage fed by the games he was being drawn into, his patience had run out. Summoning all the contempt he could muster, the captain loosed a burst of force lightning upon the room, fanning it outward to illuminate and lick at every corner high and low.

From the moment Draconis had seen the Captain draw upon lightning when he first called out to him, he knew the man was aching to unleash it. Begging Draconis to charge him initially. Though Draconis had picked at him continually. Until finally the Captain had had enough and let his frustration and anger show. A volley of force lightning left his fingertips as he fanned it across the cell looking to trace every inch of the block to find Draconis in the darkness. The flashes of lightning illuminated the block like a strobe on and off, glimmers of the surrounding block flashing in its light, with the dark figure of Draconis seen from time to time. The attack was spread out, not as focused as it should have been sacrificing volume for accuracy and strength. Yet it still packed a significant punch. Draconis braced calling up a barrier of energy to protect and dissipate the energy as much as possible, dodging it did little good from the arching area the Captain spewed it unto. So Draconis stood firm, drawing a tight barrier, and dissipating as much as he could. Raising his elbows and forearms out in front of him bent and bringing them together in a closing motion as he concentrated to hold fast. Despite such he could feel the force energy lightning burning his ragged robes that were torn even more from this recent stay in his luxurious cell, along with sharp pains as trickles of lightning danced across his skin. Pushing through the pain as he dissipated it as much as one could, while drawing in the strength from it. Eventually the stream of lightning ending and darkness returning. Draconis pressed forward shaking off the pain, towards the Captain virtually unarmed. The dagger he held in one hand would not stand up to a lightsaber, he had at best one or two strikes to it before it would be useless and sheered apart. Not to mention the reach of it did not compare to that of any sword. The Captain finally got his wish as Draconis rushed forward, with a staggering force push aimed at him, but not like the toying and probing force manipulations from before. This had force behind it. Draconis came out of the shadows and dodged to the side, intending to keep the Captain guessing and off balance right after loosing the assault and armed only with the dagger in one hand.

The Captain was thrown, if not ragdolled, and cut a wild backflip in midair before finding the ground with his boot heels and grinding himself to a stop, braced at three points while his lightsaber blazed out beside.

He gritted his teeth and stood, bringing his blade into a defensive ward in front. Draconis was now in plain sight, wielding only a dagger. That wouldn't do. Vonn would not kill an unarmed opponent, and rarely did he get the opportunity to face a worthy foe.

Cautiously, he reached to his belt, and produced a second lightsaber. Never taking his eyes off the assassin, he rose the shiny cylinder as if to show it, then tossed the unignited weapon towards Draconis. "Fight with honor," he intoned.

Draconis advanced as the Captain was hurled back from his force push. The Captain landing and recovering, rising, and again goading Draconis to “fight with honor” as he tossed a lightsaber towards him. No need to turn down a perfectly good weapon. Draconis caught it out of the air, igniting the yellow blade in a deft move as it twirled in his hand and came about angled at an overhead strike aimed at the defensive guard the Captain took.

With a smirk, Vonn rose to defend and his blade crackled against that of Draconis. Silly little Sith, always taking the bait.

Never accept a lightsaber from an enemy.

The trap was set, and so as he pushed off seemingly in preparation to counterattack, Vonn instead launched himself abruptly backward with the aid of the force, and in mid-flight clicked a discrete button near the bottom of his lightsaber hilt.

What Draconis hadn't known was that inside of the weapon in his hands rest a concussion grenade - and that the trigger was in the hands of his opponent.

As Vonn came to rest semi-prone, outside of the blast radius, Draconis' weapon would explode violently in a fireless but ear-shattering blast, sending fragments of metal and glass in every direction with a percussive and disorienting release of energy. Then Vonn looked up to survey his handiwork.
The explosion sent Draconis reeling back as he slid down the hallway to a halt. Draconis lay motionless. On the stone cell block floor. Seemingly unconscious.
Vonn, however, wouldn't be fooled, and with a ripple in the force he raised a hand to grasp at the cell doors on either side of Draconis, violently ripping them from their moorings and sending them flying towards the prone Sith from two directions. He would either abandon his charade or be crushed - assuming he wasn't too dazed and disoriented to act.

The ringing sound was deafening, there wasn’t much one could do avoid such. The Captain was gaining the upper hand, though not willing to get close in, understandable that he intended to keep the Sith at more than arm’s length as much as possible. Draconis pushed out with the force with the sense and feeling of imminent danger heightened and bearing down on him. The heavy cell gates came to a wrenching halt inches from crushing him, suspended in the air held in place by Draconis. Draconis groaned and stretched from the grenade impact, as he began to prop himself up with his arms. Draconis brought himself to his feet, the cell doors still hovering to either side of him still suspended Draconis came to stand rotating his shoulders as if loosening them and shrugging off the intense pain from the Captain’s well played gambit. Looking over his shoulder initially as he turned to face the Captain down the cell block.

With a renewed fire, Draconis paced down the cell block, initially with a slight limp as he straightened and focused eventually coming back into view of the Captain in the dimly lit cell block. The cell doors back behind and down the hall that the Captain had hurled upon him still hovered held in place by Draconis almost involuntarily without thought. The black voidless eyes of Draconis staring down Captain Vonn. Draconis still held the dagger in his hand, with blood dripping down from the metal shards imbedded in it. “Care to try again My Captain.”The statement was as much a question as it was a taunt.
Vonn snarled, wordlessly, and from his outstretched hand was issued a burst of white hot energy, racing through the air like crooked writhing fingers, toward Draconis. The captain had no intention of allowing a dazed opponent to gather his bearings.

Sighting Draconis approaching he could tell that the Captain quickly intended to press and not relent, Draconis eyed the white-hot tendrils of energy arcing through the air towards him. Pacing and leaning forward Draconis’ hand reached up meeting the oncoming energy stream with one of his own. Dark energy flowing out of his fingertips as it met the Captain’s in midair, erupting in a flash of sparks and energy, as the streams tangled. Draconis wretched his hand to the side as if deflecting and repelling some of the energy which seemed to snake through as he continued to press forward now close to the Captain. The white-hot energy channeled through some of the nearby cells as a section of prisoners in adjacent cells felt the coursing searing energy flow through them, burning them alive from the inside.
In his offhand the dagger from before was gripped tight, as Draconis bore down even closer now.

But Vonn did not see it. Blinded by his anger, he continued to press forward, and the surge of lightning hissing from his fingertips grew ever stronger.
The lightning and energy seemed to surge from both of the beings, as the cell block was almost completely illuminated now from the clash of energy from the two combatants now at a close proximity, the overflow of energy arcing all around them with stray tendrils striking stone and metal cell components erupting in sparks along with flying stone shards. Draconis pressed forward standing tall and almost dangerously close as the streams of energy poised to release.
Then, they did. Or something did, anyway. From inside it would seem perhaps that the very atmosphere itself had erupted, as munitions were dropped on the tower from above, and it came crumbling down on top of them both.

The back and forth was nearing an end as the Captain and Draconis were within grasp of each other, but still furiously pouring energy into the streams that crossed. Draconis seemed to give ground as he leaned, almost allowing the Captain to press forward. Draconis leaned hard and pivoted giving ground slightly attempting to draw the Captain off balance. The dagger in his hand rose and began its path intended right into the side of the Captain, between an exposed small seam in the armor he wore. The blade piercing precisely, sliding in between the ribs and into the Captain’s lungs. Blood instantly flowing in the pierced lung. The Captain brought his saber blade around as the steam of lightning ceased intending to carve Draconis in two, Draconis’ elbow smashed into the Captain’s chest before it could come around, knocking him back into the cell bars. The Captain wheezed as he struggled to breath.

But it did not happen…

The whole cell block shuttered, as the ceiling began to crumble and cave in. A portion of the stone ceiling struck Draconis nearly flat in the back. Driving him forward as the dagger he held in his hand missed its mark, carving a gouge in the armor of the Captain side, but not penetrating. Draconis felt himself pressed forward into a nearby cell door as he was pressed up against the bars. Almost instantly springing back away from them, as he dodged a large piece of ceiling. The entire structure was caving in and falling upon them. Despite the pain, Draconis dodged and flashed into a direct line eyeing an exit. But it was to no avail, dodging, spinning… Draconis reached forward deflecting several large pieces from striking him as he cleared a path drawing closer to a glimmer of light at one end of the block. Dust, stone, and steel twisted and crashed down as the oppressive sound of the structure was all around.

Everything went black….

@Darth_wanderguard Lady Belligerent Sinrebirth

 

Jagall Neidav IC:
~Scenes of Carnage, Zakuul/New Moraband~

Sitting in the shuttle quietly, Jagall simply allowed himself to temporarily ignore the troopers, Moff Esmeralda, and Darth Kronos. He knew that was going to be returned in kind after all. His eyes closed and he took in a deep breath, as if centering himself. And waited.

The anger inside the Sith was clear, much like Kronos had surmised, but it was a confused mess. An anger without full understanding of itself, which after a time, attempted to smother itself out of perception. But the Jedi had already taken note of it and simply chose to ignore it.

He kept his thoughts on the matter to himself.

Within just a few moments, Kronos gave the signal and off they went. In the Force, he paid attention to them all once more while his eyes were closed. The pilots and their disciplined focus, the troopers and their rising anticipation. The Moff and her own simmering irritation. And the mission leader with…What? It wasn't anger now nor even mere annoyance. No, it was something more reflected within. But he couldn't quite glean what it was.

Moving on for the time being, he felt the ship itself and the thrum of the engines not just from the physical vibrations or the background ambience of its sound, but through the Force as well. And he too felt the…

Wait. His eyes snapped open.

The ship jolted sharply. They were…

A more violent shake now and Kronos was standing up. Bad idea. Then came the final jolting rock in an upward-left motion.

…being attacked.

Too quick for him to shout, merely sense. And that was when the spinning free fall began. The lights, the blaring klaxon of panic, the yells of confusion and fear.

"What happened!?" he tried to yell, his arms and legs constantly trying to grasp something more steady. Rather pointless really. All of it. The struggle for balance in a wildly spinning ship. The question. The very beginning of the mission even seemed so.

The thick, black smoke trailed past the cockpit window giving silent voice to what had happened, just as he had sensed. Why had he even bothered to ask when he already knew anyway?

Frazzled minds did odd things.

Seconds before impact, he knew it was coming. They all did. Using the Force he did his best to cushion his own impact, as well that of the Moff's. Duty and all. In the end, it didn't help much.

They were all thrashed to high hell. But he at least kept the woman from snapping her neck as he managed to get a half second glimpse of her hitting her head. Of course, no one would acknowledge what he had done. There was no time to notice. Oh well, some things went unsung.

More importantly…

…ugh. That was not…graceful.

The Jedi Knight's buckle and shoulder straps (why was he the only one with shoulder straps, he didn't know) had come undone and wrenched him violently forward, yet somehow tangling in his right shoulder which then tried to claim him back to the seat while inertia wanted him to fly elsewhere.

A nice audible pop went unheard in the tumult. But it was felt. So was the fact that he had been spun around and grasped onto the straps with his left hand for safety. Naturally, that resulted in him just being slammed back into the seat because of the crash. Once. Twice. Thrice. Not that he fully registered all three mind you.

When the ship had come to a halt at last and everyone knew the crash was done, he began to move. With a small groan and confirming he was indeed still alive, he forced himself up and ignored the pain. Somewhat. For now.

Grasping his arm and with careful skill…pop. Shoulder was back in place. Rolling it for just a moment, he gingerly made his way over to the Moff to check on her. By the time he managed to pick his way there, however, Kronos was back on his feet as well and checking her.

He just waited for further orders, not wanting or needing to encroach further. He got them soon enough. 'Just get out of the ship' and the man didn't need to be told twice. Seeing how Esmeralda was being carried by the Sith Lord, he simply moved with the troopers as the ramp thudded down to the ground.

The bloody assortment of Force Wielders and Troopers exited the craft and into the Scene of Carnage.

Ugly landscape. Uneven terrain with every step. A polluted like atmosphere. And two gun towers right ahead. One of which…

"Move!"

Jagall did so with as much alacrity as could be allowed, heading away from the crosshairs. It didn't fully get him out of range though when the ship exploded and he, along with nigh everyone else, were launched from the force of it.

Tumbling again, he found himself skidding to a halt some four dozen meters away on one of the most Force-awful terrain he'd ever been on. Blood poured from a dozen cuts and scrapes, bruises adorned him like tattoos.

"So, this…is what it means to fight alongside the Sith…" he mused dryly to himself before wiping a beyond sore arm across his mouth. Partly wiping off blood, partly smearing dirt on. Lovely.

Struggling up, he immediately found his lightsaber at his belt and ignited it. Its green blade bathed him and he found solace in it, smiling slightly despite himself. When it was on, he felt protected. Back in his own element.

Was that just a psychological ploy self-inflicted for his own re-assurement? Sure, but who cares.

His eyes found his current comrades and he hurried over to them. Kronos was now aiding a slowly-coming around Esmeralda, while frantically speaking into a com link. One blaster bolt, from enemy soldiers coming from the direction of the guns now, nearly hitting the two of them.

That won't be happening again.

A few blasters shot out to challenge that theory, but he resisted as he moved in their path and began his defensive deflections of the attacks so the others could get to the burning troop transport safely.

So two out of three ships were already down? Things had become quite complicated.

Within about eleven seconds of their arrival and the medic being ordered to assist Esmeralda, Jagall still deflecting shots, came right behind. With a breath of brief relief, he disengaged his lightsaber for just the moment and witnessed the Lord's yanking of the woman on the ground.

Saving the pilot too? Surprising, or just trying to be resourceful. Does not trust his own flying capabilities for later perhaps?

Soon enough the rest of the trapped team finally arrived amidst the chaos and Jagall listened to the new orders.

"We have a new situation. Obviously. Now we need to push through with force. Thunderous."

Jagall briefly glanced over to catch a glimpse of whom Kronos was referring to, mentally noted, and went back to watching the leader of the mission.

"You will take a small group of soldiers there and push them back from there. Jagall."

"Yes?"

"You and I will do the same tactic from the opposite side, accompanied with them," the Sith Lord motioned toward his loyal troopers, "The remaining soldiers will push from the front. Titus has the towers. We will box them in and take them out. They appear to be hiding in the structure of the building. Or what's left of it. Titus, do not aim for the building. Remember, we need this sniveling coward alive. And FT-005. Keep the wounded safe."

Jagall waited, having no questions at present. It was all straightforward at that point. Wiping his mouth and chin again to attempt at ridding himself of the grime of the crash, he managed a nod to everyone.

"Alright. Move. Now."

His green blade sprung to life once more, spun on his heel (awkward in the terrain), and flew alongside the four with him. Taking something akin to a flanking spot in relative position to the Fang Troopers, Jagall deflected the shots right back where they came from and defended those with him.

His muscles screamed, his weapon sang.

One blaster shot rang straight for a trooper's head (FT-002 was it?), and he used the force to simply nudge the shot out of the way and past them instead, lightsaber swatting away a different one altogether.

This felt like an eternal dance and he needed to conserve some physical energy for a push later, so he directed his free hand then to grasp a ruined chunk of vertical wall from Kronos' old ship and levitated it in front of the incoming fire like a giant, floating shield to give them a respite.

"Shall I keep this up or launch it?" he yelled over the gunfire.

A big shield was potentially useful, but if the Sith wanted to continue a more aggressive counterattack with it as a new weapon, well…

His orders.

Tag: Darth Kronos Sinrebirth PCCViking Darth Master Titus

 

IC: Darth Leda
Obelisk

Drumming her fingernails along the edge of the console, Leda hummed to herself as she continued her work. The song running through her head was an old tune and though she couldn’t quite recall what the lyrics meant, the young warrior could vividly remember when and where she had learned its melody. The memory materialized as she allowed her mind to wander, wispy tendrils of a thought melding into a solid picture. Leda had been a young child at the time, forced to remain alone in a cold, dark room. Her keepers had assumed that a lack of light and socialization would control some of her stronger outbursts but it had done quite the opposite. The isolation devoid of anything kind or tender, her personal black hole, had only worked to nurture her hidden talents; to teach her who she truly was inside and show her what she was capable of. Even now, over a decade since those experiences she was grateful to that little dark corner she spent so much time in, until the Man in Black had come to bring her back into the light; one vastly different than it had been before.

beep.beep.beep.

As the computer she was stationed at alerted her to the completion of a data slice she moved automatically, breaking from the depths of her mind with the ease of much practice. Leda disengaged one datacard in exchange for another and began slicing into the mainframe anew. She had successfully hacked her way into all three triumvir’s ships and had established hidden comm channels with both the Emperor and Night Herald’s vessels. Now proceeding with the last piece, it was the most challenging aspect of her task as assigned by High Lord Hesper; slicing into the very ship they were all occupying. A light sheen of sweat had formed on her forehead, a result of the mental pressure she exerted over her work. Leda was not so arrogant as to consider herself an expert in this field but she was confident in what skills she did possess and wanted everything to be perfect. An untraceable web that weaved in over itself, it would not be impossible to trace but would be incredibly difficult and would take a solid amount of time by a professional to do so.

She shrugged.

They won’t know until it’s too late.

Continuing, her yellow-green gaze slid over to the scene surrounding Cocytus. The Kaminoan apprentice and his Master were interrogating some poor lad, messing with his mind and all sorts of amusing things that she’d rather be doing instead of plugging away at a terminal. A roll of her eyes coupled with a quick sigh. One day I’ll be the one giving orders, she mused with a smirk, the red glow of the data screens casting a menacing shadow over her face. Watching the information readouts on her datapad, Leda knew she may be above the work she was given but as long as she impressed someone with power, it would only serve to position herself into a place of favor. Focusing solely on Lady Hesper for a brief moment, she knew the blonde was no ordinary Sith and could very well be the ticket to her goals.

Moving her attentions back to the tall alien and her more immediate issues, she watched with mild curiosity as he laid waste to the officer they were questioning. Sadistic, that one, Leda noted. While Cocytus may not be too friendly, she liked him enough already.

Suddenly, alarms began to blare around them all and Leda slowly stood, one hand hovering over her lightsaber hilt. She had felt a slight buzzing at the back of her mind over the course of the last few minutes, a slow build to something just below annoying. Clearly she should have paid more attention to what the Force had been trying to tell her.

Mutiny.

Just as the main doors to the comms center abruptly sealed off, Hesper utilized a blaster she had obtained from a nearby officer and let loose a shot into the ceiling. “Listen up. Who’s involved with this mutiny? Anyone?”As the High Lord continued, Leda looked down at the console to check on her final comm slice. The program was just about finished but she still needed a bit more time… “Leda,” Hesper called as if reading her thoughts, taunting her with the fact that she should have been swifter with her assignment. “I hope you are finished with your task. Lock down the ship’s security system.”

“Kriff,” she swore under her breath before responding properly. “Right away, my Lady.” Dropping back into her seat Leda eagerly pushed the program along. Fingers danced over keys and switches and all she received in response were angry beeps of protest that were barely audible over the continuous wail of the alarms. Instantly, she was very annoyed at being rushed. She loathed being forced to sacrifice quality in favor of a quick result. Taking her time and being thorough was how she preferred to carry out missions as she always aimed to impress. The female Chiss she had killed just a short while ago popped into her head and was the perfect recent example. Had the team not been shoved along perhaps she would have made a more… memorable show of the officer’s death. That had been what they were trying to do at the time, for Sith’s sake.

Bouncing her knees anxiously, Leda watched the last hidden channel complete its creation, her task now finished. Immediately returning every piece of equipment back to her bag, her deft fingers then moved over the controls to access the security mainframe. Easy enough compared to what she had just been doing and in no time she had access to the entire network. However, she could tell there was another in there with her, simultaneously manipulating systems just as she was. “It doesn’t do to go against the Sith,” she whispered to herself in a singsong tone, racing her opponent for control. “You’re bound to get… snuffed… OUT.” With a last bit of finagling, she effectively removed the other slicer and shut down access completely. No one else would be able to break down her protective firewall, not without the passcode she generated.

And lying hidden among it all was her little spy network, alive and already streaming information back to the datapad she had received from Hesper.

“Ha!” she exclaimed with a pump of her fist. Satisfied and proud, she contemplated making this sort of thing a little side-career as she started to rise from her seat… then was quickly forced to drop to the floor as Cocytus shot over her like a stray blaster bolt. Growling, Leda watched from this position as the Kaminoan slaughtered all they had shared the room with, leaving one sole survivor. “Kriffing watch it!” She shouted out into the now-quiet room, glaring at Cocytus’ retreating form before moving back to her feet and shouldering her bag.

Listening intently as Hesper hailed the team, she waited until the High Lord was done with her instructions before striding over to her side, careful to avoid the carnage now strewn about the area.

“The Obelisk is back under your control, my Lady. Enter your passcode at any terminal and you run the show.” Offering her fellow Sith a quick bow of her head, she lifted her eyes back to the blonde. Leda raised a brow as a mischievous smirk crept across her mouth. “Your… other requests have also been completed,” she relayed in hushed tones, handing over the reprogrammed datapad for Hesper to take. “You are set to receive communications immediately.”

Opening her mouth again to ask whether she should remain and help in securing the bridge, she thought better of it and turned to leave the comms center without another word. Loosing her lightsaber as she followed in Cocytus’ wake, Leda ignited the pale yellow blade and hopped over more limbs and gore. She did not know exactly where she should be going, but her tall friend had left a lovely trail of breadcrumbs. So she kept on, once again humming that familiar song from her memories.


TAGS: corinthia Darth Cocytus Lady Belligerent, Obelisk crew

 

T’Tkura
Dungeon Ship

A intense scuffle was unfolding in the tight corridors of the prison block, The Patrolling Sith Lord was being pounced on. T’Tkura thumbed the Commlink that had rolled into his life, looking for the frequency and channel adjustment, noting what it was currently set to. The High Imperial Knight Draco had been neutralized it seemed for the moment. Master Radian and Master Jole moved to subdue the Sith, with Jole brandishing an obtained saber. With Radian bursting onto the scene hurling forward towards the Sith after having detached one of the heavy metal cell doors. Another group had entered the fray with one of them seemingly being a Sith, struck down by the Sith Warden in a sense. Betrayal and fear having gotten the best of the Sith Lord Warden, as he lashed out. Successfully one might add, but there were too many attacks coming from too many fronts.

T’Tkura slide out into the corridor watching as Master Jole bore down with the saber he held. T’Tkura toggled the commlink scanning the frequencies while moving back to the Sith Lord’s frequency he noted earlier. Searching for chatter and movement on what was going on within and outside the vessel. T'Tkura knew with every moment more and more attention was being drawn to what was transpiring. Who knew what actions and responses, along with who would be noticing the unfolding prison break.

T'Tkura moved towards Draco, who was unresponsive, clasping the Knight with his arm and reaching out as he placed the commlink in the crook of his elbow holding it for a moment while he checked the vitals of the Knight reaching out with a healing trance to wake him. They were going to need all of them to get out of this place.


T’Tkura focused on the man, trusting Jole and Radian would be able to subdue the Sith and secure the area.

@Sinrebirth theometric ConservativeJedi321