Star Wars CLOSED Resurrection

IC: Pascale Rouser
Location: ISD Resurrection, Kashyyyk system

Ow….

That was what Rouser thought as he was unstrapped from his seat in the shuttle and he managed to rise up from the chair. His body felt like a brick had been dropped on it and he rather slowly made his way to the shuttle’s boarding ramp after being directed there by a trooper.

To be honest, he wouldn't have minded if he was still strapped to the chair and allowed to rest for a little bit.

First things first deal with the situation here. Then if he was still alive by the end of it perhaps have a good shower, rest and get out of his archaeologist attire and back into his suit. And also find out if Fortuna had made it back in one piece. He hated to think these troopers had made a mess of his beloved yacht just because they had to probably tractor it back.

One thing at a time Pascale…..

He managed to make it down the ramp slowly and with a little bit of a limp, he probably looked like he had been run over. The sight that greeted him though was impressive to say the least.

Hundreds of stormtroopers standing to attention as well as what looked like followers of these Disciples of Ragnos. Probably all as nutty as Alora in their devotion. And there in the middle of it all was another scantily clad lady, Pascale guessed this must be Tavion, Alora’s boss and his current employer.

What is it about Dark Ladies of the Sith and having hardly any clothes on. Was this a fashion statement?

The poor Dark Jedi in the cage was being brought forward to Tavion by two troopers and what looked like a Disciple. Pascale was trying to stay out of the way of it all, he probably had his own punishment to come so he wanted to look as inconspicuous as possible while all this went on.

No such luck.

“Ah yes, Rouser,” Tavion said lightly. “You assisted us in locating the fallen Jedi Temple on Alaris. I have another task for you at our final target...” her gaze turned to Alora, the Lethan Twi’lek. “Which I understand you lost?”

Rouser bowed his head “Yes milady” he simply said as if resigned to the fact he would have to work for this lot even though they were all totally bonkers. So long as he credits kept coming he didn't care although the danger was he could end up in the same situation as in the Temple and nearly die. He could still die at the hands of Tavion and Alora if he failed again.

Alora meanwhile had pointed out that the Dark Jedi had absorbed the Temple’s potential, Pascale guessed it was probably through the necklace she was wearing. A pretty necklace too, it would fetch quite a few credits if it was ever sold. Sadly he had missed out.

Someone then brought something which looked like a sword with a fork on the end. And Pascale recognized it, the Scepter of Ragnos. One of his fellow treasure hunters and collectors on Commenor had found it and kept it, Pascale was wondering whether to buy it off them and add it to his collection. But it had disappeared before Pascale had a chance to ask. Unfortunately the person ended up dead and the Scepter went missing. Now it had been found again and under the command of a Dark Lady of the Sith.

Not good at all.

Meanwhile the poor Dark Jedi had been positively dumped on the deck and before Pascale had even a chance to limp forward and help her back up Tavion and held her upright using the Force and decided to try and take the power away using the Scepter. It must have failed as Tavion then asked two troopers to take her away as she no longer had any use for her. Alora followed them.

Sorry my dear he thought to her a shame I could not help.

He did feel sorry for the Dark Jedi even though she was probably like them, a darksider. Nobody deserves humiliation like that even if she was trying to stop him and Alora from getting the artefacts.

Pascale decided he had seen enough but to be honest, his body still ached from nearly being crushed. However, his exit was also delayed by something else, and it concerned the freighter that had just arrived as well as someone who was in the gathering.

Alora then returned as a call went out “Arek Graul,” and Pascale suddenly was frozen in place, who was this person they had called out for?. Was it something to do with that freighter?. Pascale was getting the eye as well as if to say “You’re an outsider here” and then the call continued “We have a traitor and a coward among us.”

The hangar seemed to go deadly silent as if everyone was taking a deep breath and wondering what was going to happen next. And then the freighters weapons at the front of the ship crumpled as if they were made from tissue paper.

Oh not good…..

Was this directed at the person in the freighter, to the person in the hangar or at him?. There was one thing Pascale knew and that he was not hanging around to watch someone get slaughtered.

Pascale began to inch slowly away towards the exit of the hangar. He wasn't going to watch a bloodbath. And they were right he was an outsider, perhaps he should not be here watching this.

He continued his slow walk toward the exit.

TAG: @Sinrebirth , @HanSolo29 , @TheSilentInfluence

 

IC: Madelyn Linnett
The Brig

Madelyn was vaguely aware of what was going on. She could hear people, feel some kind of force device try to enter her mind but she couldn't move. Why can't I move. She thought, internally winching as they moved her around to what she assumed was a jail cell. Madelyn lay on the floor, looking at her things on the table. Her lightsaber, The Book of Sith. But she frowned when a voice started to speak to her, and roused her from her daze.

"I can force walk. But I already have someone bonded to me." Madelyn felt unease, thought she wasn't sure if that was Voren projecting those thoughts or herself." I need to get out of here, but I'm curious; who are you? And what happened here?"

She looked around, winching at the pain that shot up her arm. She looked down and noticed some bruising but it didn't seem broken. Probably just bruised when the Temple fell on us. Madelyn shook her head and reached out to Voren. Any advice old man?

Tag: @Sinrebirth @QueenSabe7 @HanSolo29 @Jerjerrod-Lennox @JediMasterAnne

 

IC Ka'rta
Korriban

Hearing a voice reply to her was eerie and she responded accordingly, drawing her blasters and sweeping the room. All of her sensors came back clear, but she wouldn't discount what her own senses were telling her either. There were voices here and they seemed to have their opinions of her. She paid their words no mind, though the fact there were here at all was disconcerting. With another sweep blasters at the ready she confirmed that no one was here. Other than the ghosts everything seemed to be in order, even a working terminal. Nothing is new, everything is just a copy, we find something that works and never change it. She let out a bit of a huff returning her weapons to her holsters.

Messages and schematics started pouring in taking her mind off the supernatural phenomenon she just experienced. She gave her go ahead for the fortifications after making some slight alterations, and placed the shield generators were they would be most useful. She also looked over the notes for the next expedition, and the wildlife they would encounter, flying beasts and ground beasts. Though the Tu’kata seemed to be the worst of it. Long teeth and even longer claws hunting in packs, some of the reports showed an intelligence beyond that of normal non-sentient species. That could cause an issue. What also drew her eye was the resources being put towards this little expedition. Top of the line gear and some of the highest paid mercs on the squad and herself of course. A curious opening was for an archaeologist, what good would a professor do them with vicious monsters and poisonous brambles about? She did not sign on to watch over some lost academic while they took a sabbatical.

Sentan really wanted that tomb cleared out. What was so important? Was it loaded with jems or other valuables? Well it wasn't her place to really argue. She was already getting paid a ridiculous amount of money. She'd do just about any job so long as the price was right. And not ask any questions either.

Getting up she locked the door to her room and made her way back to her ship there were things to prepare, weapons to start requisitioning to store in her bunk...though the voices did give her pause.

"I'll show you strong." She muttered wandering the halls.

TAG: @Sinrebirth

 

IC: Feyna Morrow
Hangar, ISD Resurrection, Kashyyyk orbit

Things weren’t exactly going smoothly.

Tavion didn’t yet appear to suspect that Feyna didn’t belong, paying her no mind as she dealt with the new arrivals. The first freighter was apparently of no immediate importance, though the second bore another Disciple, Alora, a man Tavion referred to as ‘Rouser,’ and a Dark Jedi prisoner, as the ensuing exchange revealed.

Feyna wasn’t exactly Force-savvy, but she listened attentively as Alora spoke of how her prisoner had ‘absorbed the potential’ of one of the old Jedi Temples. Tavion seemed keen to take that energy for herself, however that worked, but nothing happened, and, declaring the prisoner to be of no further use, she ordered the captured Dark Jedi taken to the brig.

Then: “Arek Graul. We have a traitor and a coward among us.”

The front of the first, otherwise ignored freighter suddenly crumpled, twisted by a massive, invisible fist.

Frak.

Feyna wasn't certain if the woman was calling out Penin, or Graul, or whoever was onboard the freighter, or…gods forbid Tavion had realized that Feyna wasn’t what she seemed.

And what the hell was Arek Graul doing here?

Feyna had heard the name before; though his father was a former Imperial Senator, Arek Graul had served the New Republic since the Rebellion days, like her, but their paths had never crossed. Supposedly he’d been killed in action a few years earlier, but his body had never been found. Had he been here the whole time? Was he a traitor to the New Republic, or was he using his place among the Disciples as a cover, to spy on them from within?

Not that it made much difference to Feyna; she wasn’t on a rescue mission. She just wanted to get this tracker installed and get out of here.

Preferably without getting killed in the process.

TAG: @Sinrebirth

 

Combo post with the devilish Sinrebirth

IC: Lumiya & Qi'ra
Before, en route to Kashyyyk

Qi’ra calculated the jump to the Kashyyyk system from her personal controls at her desk, entering the coordinates before pushing the Eventide forward into the hypnotic blue of hyperspace. The yacht obeyed dutifully, though not without a few metallic groans issuing from the hull. The old ship had seen better days, but its former owner had spared no expense in its construction – it was built to last for an exceptionally long time.

It simply needed more action, and would surely see it soon enough.

Having remained in her high-backed desk chair, Qi’ra sighed softly now that she was locked into this path intrigue had set her on. Absently it occurred to her, that she hadn’t spent this much time in her public office in years. Short meetings and quick visits for show, it seemed more like a hotel room than her home anymore. Cold and empty of personality, here to use and then leave... though it certainly did have its usefulness.

With a touch of her thumb a drawer at her right knee popped open and she pulled out a half-full decanter of a dark red liquid, following with a pair of small drinking glasses. Pouring one for herself and another for Lumiya, should she want to take it, she stood and moved to one of the two curved couches that faced each other at the center of the room. She settled near the middle and took a sip of her drink, staring at the Sith with open curiosity.

“Partnership,” she repeated what the other had said, chewing on the word. “What would you like to discuss? Maybe providing some more detail on what it is exactly, that I am following you into? Less adventure, more mess?”

Lumiya took the cue, and sat on the couch, an almost equal distance from the decanter and the glass, the bottle creating a triangle out of them each. No need to get too close.

“The Disciples of Ragnos are a Sith organisation claiming to have received direct guidance from a dead Dark Lord by the name of Marka Ragnos.” She gestured, the glass filling and then floating to her hand. “He ruled the Sith Empire five thousand years ago now, and is generally considered to have presided over a Golden Age for the Sith.” She sipped, and allowed herself to enjoy the burn of the alcohol. “This is quite nice, I must say,” Lumiya inclined the glass to Qi’ra.

“But that was before the Rule of Two, which imposed that there may be just that - two Sith. There is only one legitimate Sith at present, and I intend to keep it that way.” She sipped again, peering over the lip of the glass with green eyes. “Thus my tracking down Maul’s Legacy, to ensure that there are no other Sith apprentices watching for their opportunity to mess up my carefully laid plans.”

“I intend to reach Kashyyyk, discover the Disciple’s plans, and ruin them, ideally taking one, minor, artefact from them in the process.” She smiled as she set down the glass. “Then I can return to the shadows and prepare for the coming storm - for when the true Sith will emerge from hiding in truth, and the galaxy returns to my control and rule again.”

As articulately said as it was, it didn’t sound all that mad. She omitted to mention that if Palpatine had indeed returned again that Lumiya was in for the fight of her life - one she seemingly did not know how to win, if Palpatine had indeed escaped her most recent attempts to undo him.

Lumiya covered any of her discomfort at the thought by leaning forward. “Are you interested in revenging yourself upon the gakaxy?” Her eyes glittered with temptation, meeting Qi’ra eyes directly.

Qi'ra smirked, her thumb tracing the lip of her glass. She had only sipped from it once.

"I've avenged my younger self in more ways than one, long ago..." her voice trailed off, lost for a moment to the past. Like a ghost it passed over her, and she returned Lumiya's mischievous expression with one of her own. "So I suppose it would depend on what you had in mind."

She allowed silence to linger briefly as they held each other's gaze, but with a blink of her eyes Qi'ra released herself, readjusting her posture to a more relaxing position. "Back to these Disciples first, though... do you actually believe they are communing with some ancient Sith..." Her free hand gestured absently as she searched for an appropriate descriptor. "... corpse?" Now she did take another drink, thinking harder on the details.

"And that is why you are so concerned with a cult of fanatics, because they can resurrect the dead?" She couldn't hold back a scoff, but it wasn't meant to be impolite, merely a sign of her disbelief. There was a slight shift in her attitude, however, as she was reminded of a unique power that resided inside her that she hardly understood. Her dark eyes returned their searching of Lumiya's emerald pair.

"The Force... could the Force do such a thing?" She hadn't been aware she had moved again, but Qi'ra was leaning towards the Sith now, very much interested in learning more.

Lumiya allowed a fleeting memory to cross her memory as she smiled at Qi’ra. It was a lesson that Lord Vader had taught her, in a rare moment where he discussed his turn to the dark side by Lord Sidious.

“The dark side of the Force is a pathway to many abilities, some considered to be unnatural,” she said, lilting, enjoying the dynamic of teacher and student for a brief moment.

From a pocket, she drew out the Holocron of Adas. “This is an ancient Sith recording device; within it are recounted historical feats of alchemy and manners to extend one’s life.” Lumiya slightly rocked her head. “You’re used to hearing about Darth Vader, no doubt, and of course Maul, who was formerly a Darth before he was cast out for his failures.”

It wasn't so much that Qi'ra was mesmerized by the holocron's outward appearance, though it was enough for her discard the casual mention of Maul. While it was intricately appealing to the naked eye, it was what she felt when Lumiya revealed the small device and explained its purpose. She had heard tell of similar objects used by the Jedi but she had a feeling the dark nature this one was exuding would be frowned upon by their kind. She of course found that aspect alluring - all the mysterious secrets locked away within its walls that would be prohibited for all but a select few to know.

The knowledge and temptation of the forbidden had always been Qi'ra's most unforgiving vice.

“The entire aim of the Sith is epitomised in the word ‘Darth’, which roughy translates to someone who seeks power over Death,” A shrug. “Immortality could be said to be the entire point of the Sith. The Sith code is, after all, all about breaking ones chains, and mortality is one of those.”

Lumiya absently wondered how the concept of breaking ones chains would translate to someone who, by all accounts, had risen up the ranks from ‘indentured servant’ - a pleasing parlance in place of the word slave - to take control of Crimson Dawn.

She, too, was leaning forward, anticipation building. For once again, Lumiya was as much temptress and tempted; tempted to share her world with another, after nearly three years alone within it.

Qi'ra's stare traveled slowly from the holocron to the other woman, her emotions beginning to swirl in an unsettling manner. Whenever she grew agitated, excited, angry, or anything else that would give way to strong impulses, this happened - as if she couldn't properly sort out all she was trying to feel, everything growing to become so intense she felt as if she had no control over them.

"Lofty goal," she remarked with a grin, clearing her throat and drinking again. "The Rule of Two, however, works in opposition of immortality, wouldn't it? How can you pass on what you know, to the next in line, if you never die?" She raised a brow, challenging the 'last legitimate Sith' for an answer. "The whole structure would... cease to exist."

Lumiya nodded. "It certainly adds to the challenge of killing your master..."

"Let us take Palpatine. He returned from the grave using a series of clone bodies. In essence, he could claim to have completed the goal of the Sith. He was beyond death. Indeed, I gather Skywalker killed Palpatine again not long after he resurfaced - which did not stop Palpatine from resurfacing all the more swiftly." She shrugged, and picked up the drink again, crossing her legs, which moved her a few more centimeters closer to Qi'ra.

Lumiya's eyes crinkled in a deeper smile, casually dropping a bombshell.

"That was, until I sabotaged his clones and made it impossible for him to return."

Another sip. "Immortality does not make you immune to defeat; my successes are proof of that."

Qi'ra's eyes narrowed ever so slightly, catching Lumiya's movement along the couch. She could not ignore the thrilling ripple of fear that passed over her heart, her breath catching for a moment... a combined reaction to the Sith's admission, and to the decreasing amount of space between them.

"That was you?" she whispered, her shock and admiration apparent. The return of the Emperor had been an event she would not soon forget, and the discovery that he was using clones to continually do so was a close second. There had been rumors and news releases as to who it was that had eventually managed to destroy any future bodies for Palpatine to use, thus making the last time he fell, his final one. It was a historic defeat that was rivaled by not much else, and made Qi'ra's already surprising level of respect for the woman beside her rise.

Her own personal triumphs were nowhere near the scale of Lumiya's but she could easily relate to the obsessive need to beat down a rival, to destroy anyone or thing that threatened to harm all you had built upon your own blood, sweat, and tears. And sometimes more.

"I want to say I can't believe it, but then that would be a lie." Which was the truth. There was nothing false about this woman that Qi'ra could detect and with or without the Force, she was an expert in reading situations as well as people. Which was why though her glass was empty now, she was hesitant to refill it, staying to search the other's face instead. "The Disciples should be no problem for you.. well, for us, I should say."

Qi'ra reacted as expected, and Lumiya was not so vain as to not say that she had done it just for the admiration, but similarly she was not so unsubtle as to not trade in on her feat. Only after time would Qi'ra realise that destroying Palpatine meant nothing in the greater scheme of matters; a clone which downloaded their knowledge. Was that truly Sith? It was inevitable that Lumiya would undo them.

"For us, indeed." Lumiya moved closer to refill Qi'ra's glass, and her own. She held it up to her, and lightly went to make the glasses meet, or, perhaps, kiss, with a soft chime. "To us."

Her eyes were drawn back to Qi'ra's... and Lumiya became more sure of what was stirring within her. She was grateful for the scarf wrapped around her chin, as she might have opened her mouth in absent thoughts about things she had not thought about for some time, gaping like some young schoolgirl, fascinated by the striking beauty before her.

Time? It had been years.

The two women were close enough now that Qi’ra could see the finer details in Lumiya’s face, which she visually traced, one by one – the startling green in her eyes, the precise way in which she had laid the sheer scarf she wore… even still, how she could still see her lips and how they moved, and the faint trace of a ragged scar that ran along her cheek.

Impulsive curiosity fueled by a strong drink, that’s what she would call it, drew her free hand up from her lap where it had been resting to tentatively – carefully – reach for the Sith’s jawline. Pausing only to return to her eyes, a single finger ran along the permanent mark in a gentle, almost-not-there ghost of a touch. She did consider the advance to be crossing a line, but it had been quick, a momentary lapse caused by… whatever it was that was fueling this oddly timed desire.

It had been so long since she had been with someone that she could not remember the last, and even then, it had never been… like this.

“To us,” she echoed as her hand dropped back, her voice low and rough before setting the newly filled glass down on the table next to her without taking another sip. And then, with great reluctance, she pushed away and stood, dragging herself back to her desk to halfheartedly sort through points of contact so that she would be prepared to send replies once they came out of hyperspace.

Qi’ra’s already chaotic emotional state had only unraveled the closer they got to one another, and it scared her, unable to tell if she was just simply wanting to fulfill a basic need, or if this was something else. The latter frightened her most.

Lumiya watched her walk away. The moment passed, and the Sith knew, with a degree of certainty, that would not be the last moment they met at that point.

She was giddy, but not just because of her feelings, but because she was pleased that Qi'ra had resisted; that she was not a simple waif who was unable to sort temptation from reality.

It would only make this more fun...

TAG: @Sinrebirth

 

IC: Madelyn Linnett
The Brig

Madelyn frowned and felt confused. "But what happens if I take too many spirits?" She asked, and she reached out to Voren as he spoke. We could take him, but I don't know much about him. I don't need Voren and our new friend fighting all the time. Though...it could be rather fun. Madelyn laughed out loud, a sharp; almost giggle like laugh. She eyed the two disciples handling her Book of Sith, and felt a flash of anger go through her.

I remember the day I received that.



It had been a few days after she had turned sixteen. Madelyn had been studying the Sith Empire that fought with Grand Master Satele Shan's Order in the Old Republic, conducting her own research into the Sith that had won despite everything, they had survived when she had been asked to wear the finest clothes she wore. Her hair had been longer too, Madelyn remembered; before she chopped most of it off after The Battle of Endor. It might be why I have gone unrecognised for the most part. The Emperor had given her The Book of Sith, with hopes that she would learn something.

It doesn't belong to them.

Madelyn shut her eyes, and sat up on her knees, feeling calm despite the anger that threatened to overtake her. "I am both the darkness and the light..."

Tag: @Sinrebirth @JediMasterAnne @Jerjerrod-Lennox @HanSolo29 @QueenSabe7

 

IC: Pascale Rouser
Location: ISD Resurrection, Kashyyyk system

It seemed someone else was trying to escape this whole chain of events like Pascale. It looked like he was doing a better job than Pascale because unfortunately the archaeologist had been caught.

Although the newcomer did look a little out of place with his whole jacket, trousers and boots combo.

Meanwhile Pascale felt an invisible force grab him and hold him in place before he could take another step "It is quite alright, my friend. You shall be joining me and my personal guard as we head to the target. I shall require your expertise, my learned friend." the scantily clad Tavion said before deciding to propel him towards the shuttle, his dark brown boots skidding across the floor.

My clothes look like I have slept in them, might as well ruin the boots as well.

What was still concerning him was this “target” she kept mentioning. It must be some sort of temple or castle or whatever to need his expertise. He was well versed in history and even legends and tales so she must still see some use to him although to be honest he was regretting getting involved with this lot. The credits may have been very enticing but he didn't know he was basically about to join a band of fanatics on their quest for darkness.

Meanwhile Tavion had turned her attention to another man who looked like a Disciple. The way she approached him, the way she kissed him and handled him spoke of ownership. Pascale shook his head, some women were pure maneaters, basically seducing men and then believing all they were was objects, made to pleasure them and do their bidding at the click of their fingers.

She needs to work on her technique. At last i’m not going to be her toy to play with. For now.

Pascale made sure that if he was with any woman that they would remember that night or nights or whatever time they spent with him. That they were treated as equals not inanimate objects or objects to be possessed or ordered about. Slow and sensual was the name of the game, and Pascale was good at it, well in his opinion anyway.

Alora, the red skinned psycho Twi’lek was heading off to Taspir III, a planet Pascale knew was an Imperial planet, nothing of interest there unless you liked acid rain. The poor bloke must have done a severe transgression to end up being sent there, but who knew what was going on in Tavion’s mind and Pascale did not want to know.

And she wasn't finished with him yet.

"Troopers," her eyes focused upon Penin's retreating form. "Escort the historian to my shuttle. I shall join you shortly. He shall be among the first, and you with them, to discover our Final Goal." it looked like her command was to two troopers who were not far away from her.

So I'm going to join this woman in their final goal whatever it is. And I could end up being the sacrificial lamb here is this turns out to be another dark side nexus. No choice here, I cant run and I can’t hide.

As Tavion had finished with Pascale and as he waited to be picked up and escorted away by the two troopers, Tavion had turned her attention to another man dressed as a Disciple. They were having a chat which Pascale was trying to tune out but the name Arek caught his attention at the end. So the man that had been brought forward was Arek Graul who had been mentioned earlier. Was he about to meet the same fate?

It didn't look like it because compared to the other man, this one looked like he had some balls, and he was standing up to Tavion as if daring her to have a go back. And it seemed a test was in order as this Arek decided to use lightning on a poor tech who had been standing near the “i’m trying to be inconspicuous” man. And it seemed to be a message to the others: that his loyalty was not to be questioned.

And then the young man looked into the crowd and called his father to come out and reveal himself. Was this young man about to kill his father as another show of loyalty, and was it the inconspicuous man?. Possibly. Hopefully Pascale would not be there to find out.

He looked over to the two troopers with a look that said “Could you please get me out of here before I end up like that tech”.

He didn't want to watch anymore.

TAG: @Sinrebirth , @JediMasterAnne , @HanSolo29

 

FYI: This is weaving together the past TWO tags, since the first wasn't addressed as of yet.

IC: Lady Qi'ra
Aboard the Eventide, arriving in the Kashyyyk system

Dropping the Eventide from hyperspace, Qi’ra kept to perusing messages, new ones pinging in now that they were back in real-time.

She was glad for the distraction.

She read the reply from Czethros the moment it came through, her displeasure at his failure openly displayed in her body language - narrowing her eyes and curling her lips. “Idiot,” she remarked under her breath, mentally calculating her monetary losses on what should have been a lucrative deal. The trivial annoyance was soon lost to her, however, as her mind was wiped clean of conscious thought, in their place was nothing more than a raw energy that was not her own.

It forced its way inside her in such a manner that she started in surprise, clenching at her stomach as it wound around within her body like a coiling snake, churning and contorting in an almost painful way. Though where there might be pain, there was a teasing warmth – not in the way you heat up from the cold, but more of a burning sensation that ran up and down her spine in a decidedly more pleasurable manner than she would have thought. It was disorienting, feeling overwhelmed but not necessarily shying away from it…

“Do you feel that, Qi’ra?”

Lumiya’s voice only escalated everything she was feeling, and that she did try and avoid. She merely gave her a look of confusion as she continued to be filled, in places she hadn’t been aware were empty.

“The Dark side unbridled; an order of Sith shouting it at each other - they aggression, their desires, their rage. It’s almost childish, and it is all chaos. So much chaos, that there is no power...”

“I’m not sure what… I feel,” Qi’ra said, breathless, as a new wave crested down upon her without warning. Was she going to be sick? Please don’t be sick.

An alarm began to beep steadily from her desk controls and she brought her eyes to the scanner display. Within the selfsame system as they, there was a star destroyer that was not even attempting to hide its location. It had a repeating signal emanating for any close by to receive, and it designated the vessel as the Resurrection. She recognized the name, from Lumiya’s conversation with an unknown contact before they had made the jump to Kashyyyk. Seems they had found what the Sith was looking for.

“I assume you have something stealthy we may make use of, Qi’ra? If we are to get aboard, and end these fools.” Qi’ra nodded, gaining some control over herself as she fought against the chaos, as Lumiya put it, wrangling it down and pushing it back so that she could think straight again. “All we need to is discover their target, and we can tell the New Republic and it’s pet Jedi where to go.”

“This ship is equipped with all manner of cloaking devices and shields. We will be no more than a ghost…” She braced against the desk and stood, inputting a few internal commands that would begin preparing the Eventide’s inner systems for a complete lockdown against other ships and scanners. Finishing, she paused, not able to tell if it was the darkness that soaked the system or something more, but she was feeling more wary than usual. She watched her companion, still unsure of herself in the face of such power, both in the other woman and what they were heading towards.

“No need for us to get our hands dirty...” Lumiya added, a hungry glint to her green eyes. “But of course we can, if we wish.”

Qi’ra smirked past her remaining discomfort, returning a similar look that favored the latter. The reasons for it were as cloudy as ever, which she was actually able to acknowledge as a soothing calm settled in over her so that her mind was as clear as it had been before they had arrived. Like a door slammed shut to shield from a storm - it was a relief. She knew she hadn’t done that herself, and she looked harder at the enigmatic woman as she moved closer.

"I will teach you how to do that," she told her as a gentle caress passed over the back of her neck, to which she yearned to lean into, but did not. Lumiya came around to face her and slid a finger beneath her chin, bringing her eyes up so that they would see only each other. "But I would ask you what you think of our foe. Of how they feel to you."

At first, Qi’ra was confused. She could only think of how the Sith had described it, unable to find her own words. She made an attempt, nonetheless.

“It felt… dark,” for lack of a much better descriptor. “Messy yet, intense. Enthralling… I don’t know, really. It’s impossible to sort.”

"I can teach you many, many things,” Lumiya continued. “But the sentiment, the expression of self, the razor focus you have; it is already Sith. It was hardened by the galaxy already; we need only acclimatise you to the Force itself, and making you, the heart of it."

Qi’ra tried not to focus on where she touched her, another soft graze this time below her collarbone, if only to drive her point home. It occurred to her then that perhaps she was preying on her emotions, toying with her to get something she wanted. She was Sith. She was cunning and had abilities she did not, yet. And Qi’ra had an untapped source of power that she couldn’t handle on her own. If this was a ploy, or a game, she'd know. That aside, it didn't stop her from wanting exactly what Lumiya was offering. She wanted to be stronger.

The temptations of the dark side were more real than she had read or heard, it seemed. Being given this choice now, and having experienced the feelings she did, she understood the truth behind the stories.

“Teach me then,” Qi’ra relented, tilting her head further back and faintly to the side, adopting a confident air about her expression. Still she did not remove nor acknowledge Lumiya’s fingertips lightly pressed against her chest. “I want to know more.”

TAG: @Sinrebirth

 

IC Ka'rta
Korriban

Ka'rta was just going about her business heading back to her ship to get started on getting her ordnance ordered for the room she wasn't about to use. The ghostly voices still rang just a little through her head. She wasn't shaken just it was odd, voices from beings that weren't there. It was out of the ordinary. She kept her head down before she heard footsteps coming her way. A Sun Guard, that seemed agitated, not that it was surprising, working for a mandalorian was not something many Sun Guards would do willingly or even if you paid them stacks and stacks of credits.

She gave a curt nod before she caught him reaching for an empty holster. In a flash the knife she kept tucked horizontal across the small of her back was in her right hand, her left reaching out to gain control of his weapon. They had the same thoughts, draw your weapon get control of theirs. She was just quicker. Her left hand clamped on his wrist long before he ever got close to scratching her armor. He eventually caught her hand, but not before her knife sparked against his breastplate, the point directed at his eyes. He tried to force her arm back while bringing his closer, he had the leverage standing taller than her, but she had fought against bigger opponents, Owen almost towered over her and she'd been able to best him.

Stepping into him she used her grip on his right arm and his grip on her to pull his arms over her shoulder as she dropped it. It was a simple, but effective throw, landing the Sun Guard on his back. Before he had a chance to breathe she was on top of him the leverage all hers. Twisting more and more his wrist strained, but he still held fast to his knife. His other hand busy with keeping her weapon at bay.

He strained lifting his chest up carrying the full weight of a fully armored mandalorian upon it. With a swivel of his hips he rolled taking Ka'rta with him. She brought her legs in not wrapping them around his waist. Dropping his weight onto her, he tried to pin her down driving his point towards her throat. Grunting she pushed back against him, lifting his chest just enough to get her legs under him. She quickly let go of his wrist but kept her forearms up as protection pressing the soles of her boots into his stomach.

With a mighty heave she pushed him back onto his feet stumbling back. This gave her the opening she needed snapping to her feet she charged low at him crashing into his waist her hands hooking behind his knees, her knife digging into the soft flesh behind it. Lifting up she planted him on his back again.

There she stood, each leg under each of her arms, knife cutting into the side of his left knee, him looking up at her.

"Keep struggling and I'll take the leg…" She offered through gritted teeth. She might just do it anyway, to assert her dominance. Twisting just a little she managed to brush the point against his knee cap, threatening it. "You want to walk with a limp?"

TAG: @Sinrebirth

 

IC: Feyna Morrow
Hangar, ISD Resurrection, Kashyyyk orbit

The exchange between Tavion and Penin was uncomfortable to watch, and when she and the other trooper were ordered to take Rouser to Tavion’s shuttle, Feyna couldn’t help feeling relieved to have an excuse to get away from the rally.

And while she was still worried about being discovered, getting on board Tavion’s personal craft was an opportunity Feyna hadn’t even dared to consider, nevermind hope for. There was still the question of how to install the tracker on Tavion’s shuttle without being caught, though.

While Feyna went with the other trooper to collect Rouser, Tavion had turned her attention to Graul, and that encounter proved even more discomfiting, as Arek was asked to prove his loyalty to Tavion—by torturing a nearby crew member.

Which he did.

Feyna still wasn’t quite certain of whose side Arek was actually on, but if this was all an act to please Tavion, it was very convincing.

Worse still, he had evidently lured his father here.

Graul, what have you done? What have you become?

But as much as the scene had taken a disturbing turn, as much as Feyna was, for an insane moment, tempted to intervene, she had a job to do, and Drayson had specifically said “No heroics.”

From the look on his face, Rouser seemed equally eager to get away from the unfolding drama. Feyna stepped next to him and began to follow the other trooper to Tavion’s shuttle.

TAG: @Sinrebirth @Jerjerrod-Lennox @HanSolo29

 

IC: Pascale Rouser
Location: ISD Resurrection, Kashyyyk system

Pascale was somewhat glad he was being escorted away. With the gruesome scenes being played out in the hangar it was a chance to get his head back in gear.

The trooper in front seemed more confident than the trooper that was behind him they seemed uncomfortable in the current environment. Luckily Tavion hadn't noticed anything, perhaps this was a new trooper fresh out of the Academy and hadn't gotten used to their surroundings yet. However there was another option….

That this person wasn't supposed to be here either.

Pascale wondered though who would want to jump straight into hell. Whether they were ordered here or whether they came here by accident it was a dangerous mission. And no doubt they would want to get off this ship after what had just happened.

As he boarded he spotted the blood red decor inside and an open door showed the same thing. Everything covered in blood red, it didn't matter what it was, if it was there it was blood red.

Charming Pascale thought no wonder she likes killing people and torturing them, she has a lust for blood. Definitely not a fan, you could use some more pastel colours in here.

The decor and Tavion’s skimpy attire definitely matched. She might as well have called this shuttle her dungeon.

He knew he could not escape, he had already tried and failed on that one. Fortuna was still parked on board and still locked as far as Pascale knew as only he held the code to unlocking it. This shuttle was going to be as close as he got to making an escape if needs be, but he still had both troopers to deal with if he was going to get anywhere near the cockpit.

Pascale also regretted taking on this job. Sure the credits were good and he got to see and explore a temple, albeit briefly but he didn't know that his employers was basically a dark side psychopath. He also didn't count on encountering a bonkers Twi’lek, have said temple fall on him, encounter a Dark Jedi and subsequently find himself on a Star Destroyer which sounded like from the noise outside in the hangar was full of fanatics.

Being squeamish was not part of his reputation, he had to remain strong and pick his moment. He would have to leave his beloved yacht behind, hopefully he would get some compensation for that at least so he could get a new one.

His moment then came…..

The second trooper, the one that looked uncomfortable must have had a second comlink on them, because a beeping started that was not coming from the comlink that was usually on stormtrooper armour. The trooper twitched and turned his blaster on the other, and that meant Rouser was now unmarked.

Bingo….

Unfortunately he did not have his bladder with him anymore since he had been pulled out of the shuttle, however both of his vibroblades were still in his boots, ready to be unsheathed and unleashed. He hated using violence, but if there was a way to get off this boat he was going to take it.

He made the pretense of getting out of the way so the trooper could focus on his counterpart and slowly backed up so he was behind the trooper and not in his vision and hopefully out of range of his sensors. He raised his right leg slowly, reached his hand down and pulled the blade out. Silently and steadily he advanced behind the trooper….

And then attacked using his left hand to push the troopers head down slightly so he could jam the vibroblade straight into the troopers neck. A killing blow.

As the trooper collapsed he shook his head his blue eyes looking down at the body. And then realised that he had not brought anything to wipe his blade on. He sighed and raised his right boot up so he could wipe the blood off.

He quickly bent down retrieving the comlink and blaster rifle from the dead trooper, the comlink going on his belt. He looked to the other trooper blaster held at his side but ready just in case.

“Sorry about that,” he said with a charming smile “I do detest violence but unfortunately it was necessary. Now judging by the fact you have a seperate comlink and that you look a little out of place here i’d say you are not part of this rather fanatical party that is going on outside. And like me, you want out”

He shrugged “Well if you want out, here it is, and I think we had better hurry before Tavion decides she has had enough fun for one day and gets on board. I don’t know what she wants, but it isn't good”

He then tipped his head to the side “You might want to get that. It’s up to you whether you wish to follow me but perhaps you may know of a place to go so we can get away from these fanatics”

TAG: @Sinrebirth , @JediMasterAnne

 

(A combo post between me and our GM @Sinrebirth )
IC Ka'rta
Korriban

She had bested him, she just needed him to say it, to admit his defeat at her hand. It was exhilarating the power and the fight before it. Her heart was still pounding in her chest as a grin forming under her face plate. When he said those words her teeth started to show in an almost predatory way, completely hidden from him. She let him go let him get up, she didn't help him, if he needed her help to stand he wasn't worth the credits he was getting paid.

The message came in from Moor, the time table was stepped up they were moving out now.

She put her knife back in its place before turning to Kenix,

"Ka'rta." She didn't give her last name. "So how many men we got ready to head out? And who are these experts?"

“Twenty men are ready; the rest of out coming the necropolis for alternate access points to the tomb; the defences have proven formidable, and attrition among the troops has been high...”

There was a spectral giggle. Kenix ignored it, though they had probably both heard it. “And the experts? No idea; from out-system. There aren’t many experts in Sith history, either. Professors tend to shy away from the topic for obvious reasons.”

Sith.

The word was finally said.

Ka'rta turned her head a little to the giggling. Still getting use to the spectral noises. Her brow furrowed a little dar'jetii, to boegy men from legend, or the people the Mandalorian Jedi Hunters fought alongside in the purge of the Jedi. That time was long gone though, and the stories almost seemed like legends. Her gaze hardened looking at Kenix.

"Right, get them together and check in with the other team, see where they are at with the new entrance. Moore wants this place intact so, no making our own exits. Your mean loaded for Gundark?"

“We’re loaded for Gundark, Tu’kata, shyracks...” Kenix shook his head. “And that’s before the statues reanimate and the ground opens up to reveal a silooth or what we think may be a taozin. Pretty sure a team found a rathtarr, too.”

He coughed a laugh. “Welcome to Korriban, ma’am.” He led her past Bossk, and retrieved his weapons from his men. Her men, he corrected.

The twenty were gathered, armoured speeders prepped. He had debated a hover-tank at one point, but it couldn’t negotiate the tunnels. The men - and three women - looked expectantly from him to Ka’rta.

He said nothing; this was her moment.

Ka'rta marched with the man rolling her shoulders. It drove the point home that this would not be an easy mission. Then again when they were getting paid this mission, it wasn't going to be an easy thing. She looked out over the gathered fighters and kitbashed vehicles. Anything heavier might get stuck in the tomb. They looked to her, expectantly.

"Alright we got our orders." She called out her voice ringing over them, "We need to move now and clear a path, the checks have cleared, this isn't going to be easy, you already know what we face. Death from every direction, above, below, and behind. But, we got a job to do, so keep your head up, ears on, and watch each other backs. We do that, we might make it back here and enjoy the lovely haunted accommodations provided to us by our employer." She was a professional, no one merc could take a job on their own. Out there all they had were the other mercs hired for this job. "Let's head out," She walked among them fixing each with a look as she moved to the front. She wasn't the kind to hide behind the lies, she was hired to lead, she would lead.

The troop seemed to stand a little bit straighter, clearly respecting the no nonsense approach that she had. Kenix nodded to himself, approving, but also aware that the woman wouldn’t need it.

“Very well said, Ka’rta,” gave a slippery voice. Kenix looked at Sentan Moor. “This is exactly what I needed of you; to rally my troops. The heart of the tomb is within our grasp, and we shall have cleared the way for the next group - they will unearth the mineral secrets there.”

Mineral secrets. Kenix sniffed. He hated when employers treated the Sun Guard as stupid. Nobody worth their armour would believe that this was just about resources. Not when there were much easier targets for Czerka across the galaxy.

Unease spread through the group, and Kenix recognised that Moor had undone at least some of the good that Ka’rta had done. Whether Ka’rta would be intuitive enough to pick up on that, or whether she would simply be the ‘good employee’, Kenix wasn’t inclined to assist - helping her wouldn’t help his team.

Kenix simply walked down the steps, letting her deal with it - or not - and reinforcing the perception in the groups eyes that he cared about them, not that he cared about Moor. Kenix was a psychologist by choice; he had long recognised the power of it upon morale.

Moor was just a fop.

What was Ka’rta? Kenix has tested her twice now, but he promised himself that this was the last time. How she handled this last one would decide whether he killed her in the tomb or supported her fully.

She turned with a hard gaze to Moor. It was clear the men knew this wasn't just about 'minerals' There were far easier places to get money, and many places that would be simpler to extract wealth. His lie rippled trough the gathered troops murmurs fluttering among them. They were shaken, and her command could be called into question. Kenix already had a dislike of her and the loyalty of the Sun Guards. The kind of person it would be easier to work with than against. While killing him would have been an option it would only serve to turn the men against her.

"Right, Minerals." She said out loud so everyone could hear sarcasm think in her voice. "In a tomb guarded by monsters..." She looked out to the troops putting on a little display. She wouldn't lick the bosses boots. Afterwards she stepped close to Moor, her words a whisper just for the pair of them. "You brought me here to lead and protect...not to stoke your ego...now let me do my job."

Moor bristled slightly. He went to snap back at Ka'rta, and then saw the eyes of the entire group upon him, even though they could not hear what she said. Even behind their helmets, they created a pressure upon him. "Fine, fine." Sentan turned away, storming off. He shouted back. "Just get it done."

He sneered. "Tavion will be here soon."

With that he broke away, and Kenix simply shrugged, calling up the steps. "We had our suspicions, as all the other Sith are, well, dead. But what can you do? We didn't expect to find ourselves on a Sith homeworld."

But the Sun Guard stood all the more slightly to attention. To Moor, it would be completely invisible; but a braggart couldn't see beyond the end of his pretty nose to think how pretty his lies were. But to Kenix, he could feel as much as Moor had felt the stare of seasoned warriors.

Respect.

"That's what you hired me for didn't you." She said to Moor's back as he walked away. Turning to the Sun Guard she could feel it in their gaze. She might pay for it later, but in was necessary to get the men on her side. She didn't what a squad of pissed off gun toting mercs at her back that had every reason to just shoot her and leave her for dead.

"Dar'jetii homeworld or not we have a job to do and we won't getting done gawking." She looked to the gathered troops, "Let's get going."

One unspecified shout of support later, the group turned about and began to trot towards their bikes and speeders. Kenix indicated a bike being detached from the back of a speeder rack. "For you, Ka'rta." He grunted out the next. "Well said. Czerka slime. It would be nice to not have to deal with him one day..."

"...Tavion is bad news though. If we clear the ruins before she gets here, it'll be better."

"Mind filling me in on this Tavion?" She asked mounting up. It was the second time she'd heard that name, each time it seemed they were important, someone to be feared. It was good to see the troops standing with her that would be one less probelm. "Ehh...there will always be people like Moor, self important di'kut who thinks money buys loyalty. It can but, not always. If it wasn't Moor it would be someone else."

"Di'kut, yeah," at which point Kenix, who was warming to the woman, remembered she was Mandalorian. Ancient enmities were a thing for a good reason, but he pushed it aside. "Tavion? She's the leader of the Disciples of Ragnos, a Sith terrorist organisation, and successor to the rule of the Empire Reborn, a Neo-Imperial organisation that wants to restore the Empire under the rule of... well, apparently, a resurrected five thousand year old Sith Lord."

He pointed the way they they were about to go.

"It's his tomb we're clearing the way through."

"Marka Ragnos, a Dark Lord of the Sith..." he paused. "Like Vader, and the Emperor, were."

"Oh joy." Ka'rta said starting out towards the tomb. "Sith tombs, and wannabe sith lords. I suppose I should be on my best behavior when they get here." If the legends were to be believed Sith Lords were not ones for having a sense of humor, or take a liking when mundanes dared to talk back to them. She was still a mandalorian, respect was earned from her, but she could fake it for long enough.

A dark sense of humour is required for interactions with the dark side came a lingering spirit.

Kenix let it speak for him, and gunned his speeder to go.

They had a mission to complete.

TAG: @Sinrebirth

 

IC: Lady Qi'ra
Kashyyyk system, aboard the Eventide, docking

"Take us in. We need to board the shuttle."

Qi’ra merely offered Lumiya a nod as the women separated and she returned to the desktop controls to do as she had been instructed. Verifying all manner of secrecy had been deployed and the cloaking mechanisms were doing their job, she set course after glancing once back towards the Sith.

Was it done? Had her choice of words been taken as submission – a chill ran up her spine at the realization -, student to teacher? She knew nothing of the Sith ceremony for such things, what made pairings of this nature official, what connected and bound them so that they might begin their journey. Together. It did cause unease to stir in the pit of her stomach, thinking of herself as being proverbially chained to another when she had been so repulsed by and fought against the very idea of ever finding herself in that position again. Since she had left Han and refused Maul, leaving it all behind to carve her own path. Alone.

Drawing inward and searching deeper, she ignored the hesitancy and in doing so, thought as though she could sense her confirmation. There was a tether that now existed unseen but felt between herself and Lumiya. It wasn’t strong, quite the opposite really – fragile – but it was there. Confusingly, certainly, for better, or for worse.

And so Qi’ra straightened and listened intently as she received her first lesson. How Lumiya spoke of the Force, painting a vivid image that she could picture with crisp clarity, it was easy to imagine herself standing atop this mountain she spoke of, regarding her emotions and choices as one might peruse the selection of wares at an open market. She saw how truly being detached – in theory, she would need much more time to actually utilize this skill in the way it was necessary for a Sith – could keep you in line with all your wants and needs, while still being able to become a powerful being in the Force.

While she knew much of this already and practiced it to an extent, it was an altogether different beast to conquer when she took into account previously avoided issues with her untested powers. It was like she had to undo much of what she had learned, and reconstruct it into something else, something better. Something stronger.

Qi’ra closed her eyes, retreating into the mental imagery, giving her a vast expanse above and around her. It was dark, yet easy for her to see.

"Exist within it, your own private space, where nobody may access your thoughts without your consent."

With a breath, constricting along with her lungs, she began piecing in and building up a protective barrier that would surround her. It wasn’t anything concrete like a wall or a fence, but she could feel each block laying upon another, layer by layer. As Lumiya, unbeknownst to Qi’ra, began to release her hold on the tumultuous emotions of the Disciples, the strength of her work would be immediately tested. She could see pressure points across the barricade she had constructed, causing her to strain against each wave that beat against her will. She struggled to simultaneously keep her mental focus intact while pushing back against things that sought to invade her personal thoughts.

The shell began to crack and she wavered, splinters fanning out in places but not breaking. However, it could not keep everything out. She heard the whispers and the insanity, buffeted against chaotic bursts of darkness that she couldn’t help but instinctively recoil from. Qi’ra’s eyes flew open as the increasing pressure nearly shattered what remained, but she did not let go. Even if it ended up crumbling entirely because she was not skilled enough yet, forcing her to start over from scratch, she would keep going and would not let go. Determination and resolve, she knew intimately, and they would get her there.

With a small slip of balance as she made her way back to her feet, she wrapped a short cape-jacket around her shoulders and drew up the hood, following in Lumiya’s wake to the ramp at the bottom-most point of the Eventide.

"Be sure of yourself, my apprentice, for we face what you could become, if control is lost. Not masters, but mere monsters, with no goal but chaos itself."

Apprentice, she had called her, a reassurance she found oddly helpful in the moment. Qi’ra sidled up to the Sith’s side, close enough that her shoulder rested against the other’s arm. As much as she was still wrestling mentally with her task, she managed a lopsided smile.

“I will maintain control. Do not worry…” she turned and looked up at the woman beside her. “Master.”

Her words sounded more certain than what she felt, but she was aware Lumiya would already sense that. Besides, it was her personality to ‘fake it til you make it’, and that’s exactly what she would do here, though she could not deny the unique thrill in saying the word 'Master' aloud. And the pleasure she gained in giving herself over to someone, some thing so fully. Fact was, she wasn't there yet, but the first steps had been taken in that direction, and all it did was dredge up memories of the misery-ridden loop she had been on when she was younger, feeling like she deserved to be controlled by another in order to be alive.

This was different, she told herself. And for several conflicting reasons, it was.

TAG: @Sinrebirth

 

IC: Feyna Morrow
Tavion’s personal shuttle, Hangar, ISD Resurrection, Kashyyyk orbit

Godsdammit!

She should have shut the damned thing off once she’d donned her disguise, but she’d thought Drayson would have the sense not to contact her when she needed very much to not be noticed. But she also knew that if he was comming her, it was important.

The other trooper, of course, was immediately suspicious, turning his blaster on her—which left no one covering Rouser, with Feyna distracted by her traitorous comlink.

Though this oversight turned out to work in her favor, as Rouser took the opportunity to kill the other trooper, stabbing him in the neck with a vibroblade—a quick, quiet kill. Unlikely to have been heard, but there was no telling when Tavion might arrive.

For a second, Feyna worried that Rouser might turn on her, but apparently he’d clued in where Tavion and her other followers had not, that Feyna didn’t belong—though this might not be a good thing, since he could compromise her cover, but at least he hadn’t killed her yet. He just wanted to get out.

Feyna did, too, but she needed Tavion to take her own shuttle, preferably with the tracking program successfully installed, and preferably without Feyna also on it. And though Rouser wasn’t her responsibility, it might be in her best interests to work with him, at least until they were both in the clear. If they separated and he was caught again, he might give her away.

She lightly kicked the other trooper’s body. “Put on his armor, and make sure you clean off the blood,” she suggested to Rouser. “Don’t go anywhere yet.”

Digging out the datapad from its pouch, Feyna also pulled out her comlink and started for the cockpit; hopefully she could get the tracking program installed quickly, then get out of here.

Plugging the datapad into a terminal, she finally yanked off the helmet and answered the comlink. “Make it quick, you have terrible timing.”

TAG: @Sinrebirth @Jerjerrod-Lennox

 

IC: Madelyn Linnett
The Brig

Madelyn frowned to herself, and felt the darkness surround her. The Emperor felt like this, a long time ago. Not all the time; but when he was especially angry. She heard Voren and their new friend speak, and took a step back; making sure she had everything before Madelyn started looking everywhere for an escape.

"I need to get out of here." Madelyn said out loud. She felt cold; and was shaking slightly from the fight she had before her. I wonder what the other Emperors Hands would say, seeing me fight like that. They were the ones out there; I was always in the background, doing the quiet work for the Emperor. The bookworm. Madelyn shook her head and looked around, spotting a vent that could lead to somewhere. If I stay and fight I might die. What do we do?

Tag: @Sinrebirth @

 

IC: Lady Qi'ra
Shuttle bay, Tavion's personal shuttle

"Go, I will cover you. Now."

Qi’ra looked to Lumiya for a second longer, crouched beside the Sith as they hid from view.

She nodded, having no plan except get from here to there – the shuttle her Master had indicated. Springing upwards and walking the shortest, most direct path to her destination, various crew, Disciples and Troopers alike moved in all directions around her but she kept her head down and kept moving until given a reason not to. Her twin petars burned in their sheaths at the small of her back, as if to remind her that they were available for use if needed. A moment later, however, she heard a commotion to her left as a TIE craft became partially detached from its moorings. It dipped and swung precariously, several mechanics and techs that were in her way scurrying off to handle the situation.

She smiled, picturing Lumiya in her mind’s eye. Thank you.

Qi’ra cleared the rest of the distance without issue, climbing the ramp of the shuttle in a hurry to become unseen again. But of course, she was suddenly more seen than she had been in a cavernous hangar teeming with the enemy.

A pair of cloaked Disciples, as if waiting for her, stood side by side in the hold with weapons in hand and clearly poised for a fight. It was apparent that they knew she was not supposed to be there.

Drawing up short, she stared at them and they, her. “Oh… I… um… kriff.”

Kill them! Now!

It wasn’t her own thought but it hadn’t scared her. She knew exactly who had been the sender.

A lightsaber sprung to life, then two more, and despite herself Qi’ra flinched. She was an expert fighter, trained and honed in hand-to-hand and Teräs Käsi but never in the Force, and certainly never against anyone trained to use a lightsaber. Let alone three…

Swallowing, she withdrew her dual hand-blades and activated the crimson laser along their edges, sinking back and quickly gaining an understanding of her surroundings. The ramp had closed behind her, so she was confined here either in life or death but that would also keep one or both of the Disciples from alerting more of their kind. It was just them.

Silence stretched as no one made the first move. Qi’ra, without really even trying, reeled her senses inward as if she were filling her lungs with air and then like a rubber band snapped them back out around her. She utilized Lumiya’s brief lesson to a different degree – instead of building a cocoon around her own mind she had the split second idea to try and do the same to someone else, to what degree she couldn’t be sure.

She reached for their thoughts and the chaotic darkness she had been riddled with since dropping into this system was more specific and less overwhelming when she focused solely on these two individuals. They were fine-tuned conduits of fury and like a black hole, swallowing any light that was within their immediate vicinity. She could sense the pull but instead of resisting, Qi’ra relented knowing she could handle it. It was strange, as if this small space made it almost easier for her to block out the larger amounts of ‘noise’…

The one with the single lightsaber seemed to notice her intrusion first and roughly shook its head, suddenly coming at her with a low lunge while its partner merely stayed back – one advantage to the enclosed shuttle hold was that it could restrict the pair of them from attacking as one. They’d risk harming each other if they did. She leapt and spun out, sensing the next move would come from the Disciple with the dual blade and she was right – just as her feet touched down a stream of crackling energy was swinging in for her neck and Qi’ra had to dip back so far to avoid being decapitated that she fell backwards off her feet.

She was set upon instantly, as would be expected.

A whizzing slash down from overhead and she fan-kicked around on the small of her back just in the nick of time. The blade seared into the shuttle’s hull as she seamlessly rolled to her knees, thrusting out at the nearest Disciple’s knees. One laser-lined blade singed through its pant leg and she assumed met skin because of the inhuman shriek that emitted from her target’s throat. The dance continued like this for a few beats; a flurry of constant movement, missteps and haphazard strikes while she worked overtime to keep tabs on each lightsaber blade, the Force churning and charging the longer they went on. Then from somewhere a boot connected with her stomach and nearly forced her to be sick. In the second it took her to recover another booted foot – or the same, who knew – came up and connected with her cheek, the force of which sent her spinning off into the far wall.

Everything ceased then and Qi’ra trembled in anger as she narrowed her eyes at the others, angry at herself and her opponents. She wiped a trickle of blood from the corner of her mouth and growled through clenched teeth. She was over this, never having been one for long, drawn out fights that could be ended in less than half the time. The two Disciples gathered themselves and returned to standing shoulder-to-shoulder like clones, their lightsabers still blazing down at their sides. She pushed away from the bulkhead and squared off against them, heart racing and blood feeling like electric currents running through her veins. She could feel it – the darkness building into a moment that would alter the course of this entire encounter. She assumed too quickly that whatever was about to happen would come from them, but almost just as fast she realized that the source of the growing power was not in them, but instead, in her.

They boldly lunged in unison and Qi’ra released a pent up blast of energy she hadn’t even known she was holding back. The torrent hit the Disciples and stopped them in their tracks, ripping and smacking into them to toss them back like leaves in a storm. It was their turn to careen into a solid metal barrier and they did so with so much force that the outer hull bent outward against their bodies once they hit. In their disorientation, she was on top of them before they even had a chance to get up.

Stab, slash, swipe, and several more stabs later, she now stood above two still-warm corpses with blood rapidly pooling out from several penetrating wounds. Strained, though exhilarated, a small yet deep gash that had opened up on the back of her left shoulder would finally be noticed, white-hot pain burning into her muscle and bone. So this was what damage from a lightsaber felt like, she recognized, grimacing as the throbbing increased and she wobbled a bit on her feet.

Qi’ra strode into the cockpit and dropped into a jump seat, locating a med kit and setting to getting her shoulder cleaned and bound. As she worked, her senses instinctively searched for Lumiya in the Force, unsure of where the Sith was or how well she was faring on the outside.

TAG: @ Sinrebirth

 

IC Ka'rta
Korriban

Her speeder lead the group dust kicking up behind her. The ruins quickly disappeared behind them leaving nothing, but desert. It would almost be monotonous is there weren't threats that needed to be dealt with. One of those threats made itself known, a caine looking creature rushing up behind them. She'd looked at them and it seemed they were nigh unkillable with what they had currently. The only thing they could do at the moment was run. The tombs came into view losing one of their number along the way. They were getting penned in the temple of Ragnos, in all it's ostentatious glory in front of it and unmapped valleys on either side of them. A voice rang in her head, suggesting they go left. She grit her teeth, damn her if she was going to take their advice. Looking over her shoulder she had an idea...a very bad one. Turning nearly fully in the seat of her speeder bike she leveled her rocket launcher, tipped with a high explosive warhead and pointed it at their pursuer. She knew it wouldn't do much against the hide, but what about inside. Had anyone tested that?

"Smile for me you Shabala mangy mutt." She muttered waiting for the moment it's jaws opened and gave her a good shot down its guttlet...she only needed a moment. Her Speeder began to slow the others blowing past her, she would catch up if they decided to run. 'We'll see if my beskar can hold up under its jaws.' she thought her other hand ready to pull a grenade from her belt and shove it down the monster's throat if the rocket failed.

TAG: @Sinrebirth