Star Wars OPEN New Sith Trials: Dark Reach: Episode I: An Order Remade

IC: Darth Insipid
Pain

The Emperor of the Sith stared at the corpse of the Supreme Overlord, expecting it to wake up and claw at this face at any moment.

It didn't.

Snoke was just dead.

The Force felt perceptibly lighter, as if a great darkness had been thwarted.

It was times like these that Insipid wondered if he was doing more good than bad striking down these Old threats and servants of the Darkness.

He often thought of his Sith as playing out the ancient Twilight Wars anew, but instead of Light against Light giving way to ten millennia of chaos, it was Dark against Dark, fighting back from the edge of Apocalypse and the End of Time.

They were the Dark Protectors.

Snoke, the eldritch Old Ones, they were the Destructors.

It was simply playing out again on many different stages - two, maybe three timelines of conflict.

The Second Twilight War.

But they were over now.

They'd won.

Yes, they were currently aboard a hostile Super Star Destroyer, facing down a True Death Star, but with a tremor in the Force - simultaneous to the defeat of Snoke - he knew that his fellow Sith had struck a blow against the superweapon.

He regarded Manticore, who appeared to be listless.

He regarded Bernael, who appeared to be lifeless.

He regarded Azathoth, who had survived, nay, triumphed the battle.

Insipid's won wounds were plentiful; several ribs cracked, a split across his forehead leaking blood down his face that he absently tasted, a wave of contusions and bruises up and down his body, perhaps even his spine broken, his body certainly wrecked.

Coughing slightly, he used the Force to prop himself up, out of the indentation his shattered body had made in the bulkhead.

"Lord Azathoth, help me up."

He said the words, simply, as if it was an obvious fact.

That he need not elaborate.

That it was the unspoken and yet now voiced reality of matters.

Lord Azathoth.

He flexed his hand, wincing, and blew apart the barricade deeper into the ship.

On another day, he would have opted to take over the Eclipse, but it as not necessary. They'd do it later, if need be. Grand Admiral Sloane was not their enemy. "Lady Hekate," his voice would float deeper into the ship. "Come, we are leaving."

Admiral Sloane for her part glowered at Hekate. “Why would you be at the front at all in your first trimester?” The woman was unimpressed. “Get off my ship.”

TAG: @greyjedi125, @Shadowsun, @Nehru_Amidala, @darthbernael
---
Aboard the True Death Star

The remaining guards and Aran Tyr came to them, with Zestus at the helm. He looked flesh-coated, having clearly made his way to them. Helping up Sabel, the team had Shimmer, Isolder and Claiomh over their shoulders or supported as they went. Iudex seemed to be standing better than the others, but the True Death Star was writhing, vibrating, as if in agony.

The ship the Aran Tyr had brought aboard was evident - they would hardly be able to fly the TIEs they had brought in. Zestus handed a switch to Sabel. "For our ship, its completely submerged but I managed to make it active again." He eyed Iudex. "Unless you want another to have the pleasure. The flesh on the True Death Star, it's basically gone mad. Lots more tentacles, all thrashing."

Indeed, outside the sphere, Estrella's bombardment had blown away a significant portion of the shell - flesh was no match for turbolaser, and the frame had snapped as the True Death Star turned its main weapon to face her, the entire sphere shape distorting. As it turned more flesh sought to weave the shape back together, but with the bombardment from Serapis' ships too it was basically coming apart -

Serapis himself? Walking a chain of explosions up the length of the True Death Star, weaving and dodging and firing undoubtedly. Tentacles lashed out, but one could not say how effective they were against such a small target - but one thing that could be said with certainty was that Astarta’s body was wearing out. It was not Forceful; it was a normal human, beautiful, hardy, yes, but it was not designed to carry a Sith Lord. The flesh parted more and more, unable to heal over the constant wounding -

A part of the main weapon fissured off and a beam of energy brushed a Nova, which exploded, but the True Death Star didn't seem to have the ability to focus any longer. It certainly couldn't concentrate its superweapon, but it did have the sense to attack what had hurt it most -

A hundred thin tentacles ensnared Estrella's flagship!

Shields were down, and the entanglement weaved around the frame of the double-disc Hapan Battle Dragon -

There were other victories and challenges too.

The Eclipse had excused itself from the battle and tucked itself away behind the gases of the Maelstrom, taking its firepower out of the fight, for one.

Two, Hapan commandos had secured the Trade Federation battleship and four Golan platforms that had yet to be activated. They commed Astarta for orders.

But two Golans had been fully deployed, and they were a decent enough threat for the surviving Sith warships, though the True Death Star was still the greatest threat by far.

Now Snoke was dead, anyway.

TAG: @darthbernael, @Adalia-Durron, @Silvertough, @DarthIshyZ
---
But then

The Force was clearing, yes.

But that clarity brought foresight.

The most sensitive of them - Insipid, Manticore -

They would detect something new was coming.

Something Light.

The New Republic?

The Jedi?

TAG: @greyjedi125

 

IC Darth Bernael
Again…

The sound of footsteps echoed through the long corridor. The beings behind the doors of the corridor huddled, knowing that the owner of the footsteps would only have allowed them to hear the sound if he wanted them to, to taste the fear that oozed from them. As the steps passed each door and moved on, the occupant of each room sighed, that they survived another day.

Eventually an old, old door was reached. When it opened, the shape inside was shivering but still tried to bolt through the opening. The conical head ducked, attempting to hit the figure in the hall in the chest, the eyes on either side of it focused, crying in fear as it tried to make it’s antagonist hurt and allow it to escape.



Only to be stopped cold, it’s head more than a meter from the figure. A cold laugh came from that one. ”I killed you the first time on Belsavis and only sipped at your energy over the eons. Lesser souls took the place of fuel over the years. But your time has come.” it said in a toneless, flat voice.

The rakatan cried out and tried to run. The figure allowed it to take off down the hall, following at a steady pace. As the rakatan ran the corridor seemed to elongate and compress, enlarge and shrink down, at the whim of it’s pursuer. A voice called down the corridor, ”There is no escape, no reprieve. You knew that when you chose to face me then. And know it still.”

The chase continued, the other souls hiding in their confinement huddled against far walls. If that one was being chased then they stood no chance if the figure chose to rip the door to their cell open and consume them. The chase continued until an outside sense of something began to intrude. The figure paused in his pursuit, seeming to fade for a moment. When it solidified again, it sighed, ”There is no time to let this play out, more than one powerful foe is still out there."

He surged forward at incredible speed. In seconds the rakatan was overcome and as the soul screamed it was devoured, the energy from it pouring out in waves. Another sigh, of deep satisfaction, came from the figure and then vanished.

In the amphitheater Bernael’s body stirred, the energy received from Manticore and the ancient soul both rejuvenating him to a degree. A deep groan, ”I could sleep for a month. But something tells me we don’t have that time.” croaked out from his throat as he came to his feet.

There was a gaping hole where his eye had been, the other still black and slightly unfocused. He swayed for a few moments, then sighed, the flow of liquid from his ear stopping. The burns at his neck and face seemed less intense and were still fading as a flap of skin grew over the hole at his eye. Shaking himself for a moment, ”Thank you brother…” came out in a growl.

His Hunger rose, sweeping out, racing through the Eclipse crew dropping like flies. As he fed more, color returned to his form, and he sighed again. His senses reached out, ”Fighters, transports in a hangar, one deck down, approximately 300 meters from here.” he muttered.

Glancing at Insipid and Azathoth, ”Hekate is near, I can feel it. And...my Father is not far, that too I can sense. Plus,” a hand went to his head, a grunt, ”there is a Light approaching, Light and Dark are coming together both opposing us.”

Looking at the corpse of Snoke he couldn’t feel a spark of life in it, which was a waste. His hand reached up, dropping swiftly, and a large chunk of the ceiling dropped free, turning the body to paste. Turning back to his brother, ”We retrieve Hekate, get free of this ship, and we stand a better chance.”

TAGS: @Mitth_Fisto, @darthhelinith, @Sinrebirth (Mentioned), @Shadowsun (Mentioned), @HanSolo29, @QueenSabe7, @Lady Belligerent, @Nehru_Amidala (Mentioned), @DarthIshyZ, @Adalia-Durron, @greyjedi125 (Mentioned), @Silvertough, @E. L.Knight

 

IC Estrella Tomsini
Aboard Hapen Dragon - Thunderstar.


It happened so fast, they were winning against this living 'thing' then.....they weren't. "FULL REVERSE - ALL POWER TO SHIELDS!!" Estrella yelled to her crew. Her comm officer called to her, "incoming for you Ma'am urgent!"

"Patch it through!" Estrella was desperately trying to figure out how to get the massive amount of fine tentacles to break free. It was Astarta and she was trying to help, and her read outs told her she was doing some damage, but not enough to get free. She responded to her counterpart. "Acknowledged and appreciated! Get Clear, save yourself." She closed the comm, as a plan was forming. She stood up and turned to the shield operator, "can we somehow create a plasma burst through the shields! We need them to burn this thing!" She snapped.

The older man turned and stared at her for a few moments, his eyes staring off into the distance as his lips moved before he looked to her. "Complicated, but I think I can do it."

"Then do it, take power from what ever you need, except weapons and life support!" Estrella ordered as she grabbed her console. The Thunderstar was being thrown about now as the tentacles pulled at its hull attempting to tear it apart. "Make it fast!" She spun to weapons control. "Pour everything you have into that monster, rip it apart before it does us!"

This was their last chance, it had to work.



TAG @Sinrebirth @DarthIshyZ

 

IC Estrella Tomsini
Hapen Battle Dragon Thunderstar



Her ship was being torn apart and Estrella did not like it one bit. "HOW IS THAT PULSE COMING?" She yelled over the klaxons and explosions.

"I NEED ANOTHER MINUTE MA'AM!!"

"YOU HAVE 30 SECONDS!!" Estrella ordered back as she held onto the control panel before her. The turbo lift behind opened and someone yelled 'Attention on Deck' she scowled as she spun to see Astarta fall from a tech's arm's. She snarled as she released her hold and ran over as the tech apologised. "Never mind, get her to my ready room, get a medtec up here asap!" She followed as the man and another from the bridge picked her up by the shoulders and literally dragged Astarta into the nearby ready room. "Get back to the bridge, get that pulse going yesterday!" She ordered the bridge officer and watched at the tech went in search of help. The door closed and Estrella bent down to the woman who now lay on her ready room floor, they were alone. "I ordered you to get clear, did you just disobey a direct order?"



TAG @DarthIshyZ @Sinrebirth

 

OOC: Lets escape the living station, with @Silvertough and @Sinrebirth, final speech and movement of Iudex done with the approval of @Silvertough

IC Sabel, Iudex, Shimmer, and Zestus
Aboard the True Death Star

Sabel winced inside the helmet but took the controller from Zestus. ”Thank you.” Glancing around the hangar, as the entire structure shook, from the violence of the station in it’s pained movements as well as the bombardment from the ships outside, he shook his head, bringing a light groan. ”Nothing here is fit for us to get free of the station.”

He pressed a couple controls on the remote, ”We may have to take your path toward it as it comes to us or we may not make it off of here.” With a sigh, he drew one of his sabers, ”Once more into the abominable flesh of this beast.” he muttered.

Iudex had managed to remain standing, albeit with considerable effort. Physically, he felt fine, winded sure, but such stresses were manageable. His mental state was a different story. The Yammosk was dead by his hand. The Acolytes of the Beyond, or rather the Knights of Ren shared a similar fate. He should have felt elated, proud that his hard work, his relentless devotion to a singular cause had finally paid off. His Conclave had been avenged, their killers annihilated by his own hands. At the very least, Iudex had imagined that in this moment he would feel content.

But no, Iudex felt nothing of the sort. The rage which had fueled him for so long had dissipated, replaced by the foul taste of ash in his mouth. The Falleen Sith stared wordlessly at his trembling hands for several moments, finding himself unable to muster even the barest of emotion towards his body's visible betrayal. Was it all for nothing?

"I will defer to your judgement.." Iudex finally said, his words hollow. "Let's go." His sabers quietly floated up into open palms. The cancerous apathy growing within him would have to wait. The mission wasn't over yet.

"Shimmer. Status?"

She rolled her neck. "I hate this mission and I hate that it's not over?"

Zestus looked to her with a quizzical expression. "Well, we'll be done soon." He regarded the corpses of their comrades and enemies. "Enough died for it."

The remote in Sabel's hand unhelpfully confirmed that his ship, remotely controlled as it was, was mostly stuck, unable to proceed at full power due to the damage it had received. The hangar pod shook and rocked, as the True Death Star was hammered and battered at.

It was an odd lull in the moment, because although they were in danger, it was nonspecific, unfocused, like the mind of the creature they had just brutally injured. A resonance announced the death of Snoke, but the presences of Insipid, Manticore and Bernael were quiet, not strongly declaring victory.

A near thing, then.

There was a noise as the hangar was suddenly visited by a ship from the outside, and the Force was thrown into sharp.

It was a YT-1300, and it swiftly landed and a ramp was out before they knew it.

Blue-armoured troopers marched down, a good dozen, and behind them was a familiar looking Corellian human and Wookiee.

"We're here to blow a Death Star," Han Solo said, crassly.

It was a motley group that met the New Republic forces. There were Shadows and Aran Tyr that were either assisting the Sith or carrying their fallen comrades. There was Zestus and Sabel, both still, more or less, covered in the slime and gore of the flesh of the station, and then finally Iudex and Shimmer. They were exhausted, hurt, and ready to depart the station.

Sabel stood up straight, staring at men that would usually be foes but possibly, in this case a way off the Death Star. He touched a couple studs on the remote that Zestus had given him. One downloaded all the pertinent data that they didn’t need being capture before preparing to wipe the system if any of these people or their allies came near the Maurauder. The other told the ship to remain at battle stations and to defend itself against the station at a slow pace, and to detonate once the wipe was complete if the NR forces also came near it.

He looked at the man and the wookie. ”Well...you’ll be blowing up a mostly mindless hulk but, given the fact that it’s busy trying to kill everything around it still, that’s not a bad thing.” Gesturing behind the Sith, ”The control room and possible the only open area to set up enough charges is in there. Don’t mind the dead hunk of meat in there, we had to kill it as it was what was controlling the station.”

Glancing over at the others, ”We could use a ride, either to our ship stuck in the flesh of this place or to,” he reached out his senses, ”The Battle Dragon that’s out there, currently fighting for it’s existence.”

"You continue to draw breath." Iudex rasped bluntly. A few minutes of silence passed between them as they walked towards the hangar bay. "..Good." He finally murmured. His expression remained dour as he followed silently behind the others. The battle had been more taxing on him then he had originally believed. Walking with his head held high was becoming more and more of a challenge, one that required greater focus to manage. Oh how he just wanted to surrender himself into a nice soft bed..

Iudex blinked, and suddenly he was in the Hangar, face to face with a dozen or so well-armed New Republic soldiers. They were nothing but walking meat to the Falleen's exhausted eyes, the real prize were what, or whom stood behind them. Iudex hadn't had the chance to meet the two figures personally, but he knew their names, knew their status.

A shudder rippled through his body. A lavish gift had presented itself, but did he have the strength to take it? Iudex wearily glanced towards his companions. Too many were injured for another fight. Simple as that.

Or we could simply take their ship ourselves. Leave these Rebellion Heroes to die on the Station.. Iudex pushed out his senses, idly planting his thought within the minds of his fellow Sith. The likes of Han Solo and Chewbacca were unlikely to let a group of injured Sith leave their sight, Iudex wouldn't, if he were in their shoes.

Iudex rested his hands on his hips, quietly preparing to spring into action for the inevitable firefight to come.

Han jerked a thumb back to the Falcon. “Sure, you’re welcome aboard. Don’t tend to see a Pantoran and a Falleen working together often. So what are you? Leftovers from the Imps take over of the Pyke Syndicate? Sun Guard? I’m getting lots of talk about a new fixer and mover in the underworld, which turns out is the Imps drawing on new supply chains.”

Zestus was a little surprised that their lie had worked. He eyed Iudex, who seemed far too intense for their ruse; the big Wookiee was staring right at him.

“And I gotta say, you may have blown up the good stuff, but we’ve the schematics. Trust me when I say when we blow this module, it’ll finish off whatever command and control functions they had, remote or otherwise. Dunno what they’ve replaced the armour with, but it’s not as good as durasteel and no match for a good turbolaser.”

Sabel’s comm chimed; his ship was stuck, and power was leaking out of it. It was going to be completely inert shortly, and would take a good few minutes to recharge its capacitors and move forward.

Sabel glanced at Zestus, sending his Captain a thought, ’Do not let him blow this ruse because he cannot control himself.’ He too saw that the wookiee was eyeing Iudex directly.

Sabel pressed a couple more icons on the remote, setting the ship into a semi shutdown mode, to preserve the batteries. All his previous orders about destruction were still in force, but it would no longer waste energy on the weapons firing. He returned his gaze to Han, ”Something like that, yes. We were here when suddenly a First Order SSD and this thing appeared. And before we knew it fleshy arms pulled our ship into this thing. We had to cut our way to this ship. Which is where we found that creature. It was quite the battle, as you can tell.”

He mixed just enough of the truth with what he was otherwise saying to make it seem believable. Glancing over his shoulder, he counted, taking in the wounded Guards of Hate and Hunger as well as Isolder and that redheaded Sith. Turning back to Han, ”Do you have medkits that can assist with the injuries and stabilize those two?”

Iudex blinked, breaking the staring contest between himself and the Wookiee with a thoughtful hum. His guard lowered in tune. The New Republic was clueless, their identities, and their true allegiance, remained hidden. So be it, he would play along with Sabel's ruse.

Iudex visibly relaxed, flinching in pain as he took a step back. Han Solo had offered him a convenient cover story, it would be rude to ignore it. "I was hired for a simple bodyguard mission.." He hissed through clenched teeth, hand clamped tight around a non-existent chest wound. "Not to fight my way out of a Death Star!" A pointed glare towards Sabel and Zestus.

His gaze fell back upon the Wookiee and the Correllian, a pleading look in his eyes. "Just.. gemme out of 'ere.. I'll, I'll even give you half my contract fee as a bonus, eh?"

Shimmer shrugged. "And I'm with him." She pointed at Iudex.

Han grinned at the Falleen' offer, but waved it aside. "We can take you all - we have medkits and whatever aboard. Come on, you won't want to be aboard when we set these charges." He regarded the group.

"How many of you are there?"

The big Wookiee headed past them, looking to lead the way deeper into the complex.

Sabel gestured at the Shadows, Aran Tyr, their ‘loads’ of bodies and weakened people, as well as himself, Iudex, and Shimmer, ”When you blow the station, it should free our ship, it’s pretty strong, which has a small crew on board, otherwise what you see is what you get, here.” He straightened more, making sure that at least one of them outside of Zestus didn’t look injured.

And then he headed toward the freighter, after a look at the Guards with them, and another look at Zestus, eyes burning through the armor’s visor for a moment before the flare of them faded before he turned back, the unstated order, Follow but be prepared for them to attempt to subdue us.

Iudex shrugged at Han's statement and wordlessly followed the rest of the group onto the freighter. He could sense Sabel's suspicion at the apparent success of their ruse, suspicion Iudex himself shared, but he gave no visible acknowledgement. The ruse had already come close to failing due to his actions, he wasn't about to repeat himself. There were no Force Users among the New Republic soldiers, or at least ones he could sense. If they tried anything funny, Iudex doubted he would have any issues cutting them down.

Inwardly, he scoffed. He would have never imagined finding himself in such a silly situation as this. Two heroes of the Rebellion, willingly offering a group of injured Sith transport. What a world. What would Emperor Insipid do here? The thought vanished as quickly as it arrived. Probably wasn't a good idea to mention such events to the Emperor, He would undoubtedly ask why they weren't killed when they had the chance.

"Tsk." Iudex grunted, glancing about the rest of the group. He was wondering the same thing..

Shrugging, Han headed after Chewbacca. “Help yourself to medical supplies, we’ll be right back.” He raised his voice. “Pathfinders! Let’s get this done before the fleet arrives! I want this station crippled now!”

That left the Sith and their crew to the Millennium Falcon!

Sabel looked at the Falcon with a critical eye. ’This is too good to be true. No elite unit is going to leave their ship completely undefended or without it boobytrapped.’ he thought. Glancing at Zestus he used hand signals to have the Guards enter and go through every inch of it, in as non threatening a manner as possible, including all the smuggling compartments he was sure were on board. The Shadows and Aran Tyr took their loads onboard, placing them in a secured area until they could give them more ceremony, then set out to obey his orders.

He turned to Iudex, one eyebrow raised, ’Trap….’

Iudex looked back at him, a sardonic expression on his face, ’Trap, yes. But we should still steal his ship, imagine the coup on the New Republic doing so.’

There were pros and cons and right now they did need to get off the ship. At the worst they had the ability to deal with everyone but an enraged wookiee and possibly the Solo but they had to do something. ”Everyone on board.”

Only a matter of minutes later they were in the lounge of the Falcon waiting for word from the remaining Guards.

TAGS: @Mitth_Fisto , @darthhelinith, @Sinrebirth, @Shadowsun, @HanSolo29, @QueenSabe7, @Lady Belligerent, @Nehru_Amidala, @DarthIshyZ, @Adalia-Durron, @greyjedi125, @Silvertough, @E. L.Knight

 

IC: Darth Insipid
Getting the Hell out of

While Insipid applied a few well placed bursts of Force energy to his broken bones to fuse them, and delicately stabbed himself to cauterise internal bleeding, he marvelled at Azathoth calmly handling his own injuries, at Manticore standing standing, at Bernael’s persistence. With Hekate regrouping with them, he knew the figure of the Sith was in good hands.

As Manticore had seen, the Eclipse had been damaged by their confrontation, remarkably so. It has moved outside the Battle itself, behind the maelstrom gases for a moment. There were several dead troopers on the floor, suggesting Hekate had done her bit to save them too, even with fake contractions.

They would have minimal problems reaching the hangar - almost as if Grand Admiral Sloane simply wanted them off her ship. Probably, in-fact - now Snoke was dead, what stake did she have in the Twilight Wars between the Protectors and Destructors? None. Less than none.

The corridors were jammed with troopers - but not along their path, simply funnelling them. Ordinarily Insipid would have killed them all for the belief they could corral Lords of the Sith. But he ordered the Sith to ignore the threat, and focus on departure. Bernael would be occupied healing, and Manticore by wondering about the Darkstaff… who appeared to be absent, somehow.

Somewhen.

When they reached the hangar there was a Skipray blastboat, as well as four TIE/FO fighters, all of which has hyperdrives. “I’m heading aboard the blastboat,” Insipid confirmed. “Up to you each of you join me or fly a TIE.”

As he looked out the hangar he could eyeball with his Force enhanced eyesight, because they were visible through the gases, the two stations and Trade Federation Battleship, and beyond them, the True Death Star wrestling with two Hapan Battle Dragons. The superweapon had a strange double presence in the Force - but the second mind was diffuse, as if confused; damaged, even. He could sense Iudex, Shimmer, Sabel and perhaps others.

Insipid glowered. “We need to be prepared for another fight because we may have to take on Snoke’s latest eldritch abomination.”

The Darkstaff granted Manticore certainty too late; again. The Force was too jangled... or was it resisting?

Hyperspace birthed a monstrosity.

Another Super Star Destroyer.

This one with great red New Republic crests on its flank.




The enemy had come in force, trusting Admiral Estrella’s impassioned plea of Leia Organa.

Then hyperspace rumbled again.

A second New Republic Super Star Destroyer appeared.

Then a third.

“Oh shavit.”

Sloane’s Stormtroopers began to pour in the hangar behind them. “Hekate, you’re in rear guard.” There were dozens of them. “We need to get going. Out of the Maelstrom.”

And then the Force crackled with power as if a light was turned on.

Luke Skywalker was here.

Insipid growled. “Now.”

TAG: @Nehru_Amidala, @greyjedi125, @darthbernael, @Shadowsun (singles)
—-
IC: Tech Gray
Aboard the Thunderstar, Battle of Akkadese Maelstrom

The older man was working against time as the Dragon crackles loudly with the strain and damage. The tech working the pulse suddenly slapped a control, his shout heard through the open ready room door. “BRACE!”

The shields reversed and released energy into the tentacles, severing them all and repelling them from the Thunderstar from the True Death Star. The turbolasers dug deep again, even as three New Republic SSDs arrived and began firing upon the Golans and battleship -

“Orders, Admiral! Captain! Three New Republic Super Star Destroyers have just arrived in-system!”

The True Death Star, even damaged, turned to face the new threats, a clear sense of concentrating happening, but with great difficulty -

The closest SSD opened fire, blowing a crater in the side of the ship -

For the moment the Thunderstar was ignored, ditto their other Dragon and surviving Nova -

Astarta and Estrella had a chance to complete their personal drama and take it to its inevitable end -

And then the Force crackled with power.

Luke Skywalker was here.

Beneath their guns.

The jagged mental order from Insipid cut across the Maelstrom. Retreat.

TAG: @DarthIshyZ, @Adalia-Durron
—-
Aboard the Millennium Falcon, departing the True Death Star

The way to boarding ramp, to the central lounge, to the cockpit, it was completely free. Their guards and Zestus could secure the Millennium Falcon without issue. The med supplies were there for Iudex, Shimmer and Sabel. On the two bunks were placed Isolder and Claiomh.

It was theirs.

They could wait.

They could steal it.

They could flee.

The Millennium Falcon activated, and began to head out the hangar.

Then there was a voice, and what had appeared to be an empty lounge area was suddenly blurred and a Jedi Master sat there.

He’d made no move to stop them wrapping bacta patches as necessary, injecting adrenaline, or generally putting themselves together.

But he had no intention of letting them go either.

“Hello there,” said Luke Skywalker.

TAG: @Silvertough, @darthbernael (combo)

 

IC Bernael
Oh fun...Luke...and…

Bernael was semi coherent as they moved through the Eclipse. He felt Hekate by him, making him smile but the exhaustion that came as part of his healing process was also taking its toll on him. The troopers that began to crowd the Sith, even as Insipid instructed them to ignore the troops, Bernael let his Hunger leach energy and life from the bodies that were crowded around them. If they died they died but if they were going to be in the Sith’s way then they paid.

Finally they reached the hangar, Bernael was using as much energy now to stay out of hibernation as he was to keep moving. Behind them, every entry to the SSD was blocked by masses of stormtrooper bodies. That worried him little, if they needed to or wanted to they could easily wade through them. What did worry him though was the ‘flavor’ of the energy coming from the True Death Star.

The Emperor, it seemed, had a similar thought, “We need to be prepared for another fight because we may have to take on Snoke’s latest eldritch abomination.”

Bernael glanced over at his brother, Manticore knew what had been unleashed at Hapes. Looking back to Insipid, ”That’s not exactly Snoke’s eldritch abomination. It’s flavor….I’d say let us be glad it’s not fully aware and in control at the moment.” He nodded to Manticore, confirming it was his father he felt.

And that was when space shook with the emergence of one, then two, then finally three SSDs, done up in the livery of the New Republic. He looked out, judging their position relative to the Eclipse somewhat hidden in the Maelstrom, and to the Death Star. Thankfully the three of them were clustered by the station and more opposite it from them. He hadn’t, yet, felt any massive emergences which could be a good sign. What did concern him though was the sense of Luke finally fully making itself known, on the freighter that was near the Death Star. They’d have to avoid that as well.

Glancing at the ships available, he nodded sharply in a certain direction and his helmet formed, rising up from the neck of his armor. He held Hekate to him for a moment, ”You better stay safe.” he whispered to her before he stalked over to one of the TIE/FO’s. ”I recommend hugging the hull of the Eclipse to the far side from the Death Star, verify there are no concentrations of the NR fleet there, outside the Maelstrom, before we choose a destination, and jump.”

He leapt into the fighter, the systems powering up. ’Join me as soon as possible, so we can figure out where we are headed, I do not know how much longer I can stave off the hibernation.’ he sent to them all on a narrow thought, knowing that the Jedi, that Luke, would otherwise be able to sense it.

The fighter lifted from the deck, slipping out of the hangar force field. He kept it close to the hull of the Eclipse as he flew under and around the massive ship. It took a few minutes but soon he saw the mists alone on the far side. He extended his senses, trying to feel if there were more foes lying in wait, as he waited for the others to join him.

TAGS: @Mitth_Fisto, @darthhelinith, @Sinrebirth (Mentioned), @Shadowsun (Mentioned), @HanSolo29, @QueenSabe7, @Lady Belligerent, @Nehru_Amidala (Mentioned), @DarthIshyZ, @Adalia-Durron, @greyjedi125 (Mentioned), @Silvertough, @E. L.Knight

 

OOC: Fun with @Silvertough and @Sinrebirth

IC Sabel, Iudex, Shimmer, Zestus
Onboard the Millennium Falcon

Sabel’s concerns began to mount as the Millennium Falcon lifted and began to depart the True Death Star. His life to date, as well as all he’d gone through to rise to the level he had, under Sidious all screamed that something untoward was going to occur. The Guards were beginning to use the batca patches and other medical supplies to assist those who were injured. His armor had medical functions and were assisting him with the bruises and contusions he’d suffered so he was still in armor for now.

A shimmer formed in the air in the lounge and the sense of an extremely powerful light sider intruded upon his senses. He almost sighed in relief that he’d been correct when Luke Skywalker appeared out of thin air. He smiled behind the darkened visor of his helmet, ”Greetings, Master Skywalker. And before you ask,” he waved an armored hand in a dismissive gesture, ”if you think you would be unknown anyone who doesn’t know of the man who killed the Emperor barely exists anymore.”

He leaned against a bulkhead, arms loose, ”If you believe we are a threat, you’ve chosen poorly. We’re merely trying to get away from what your friends do not realize is aboard that station.”

Iudex had boarded the vaunted Millenium Falcon, an aura of uncertainty permeating the air. This is too easy. The words played on repeat, over and over, as the Falleen ducked through the Falcon's loading ramp and entered the vessel proper. This is a trap! Every ounce of his body screamed at him to get out of there, to find another way off the blasted Death Star. Anything was preferable to walking but another step inside!

He shivered as memories of the Yammosk floated by. Almost anything, he surmised. But, against all odds, and against common reason, he wasn't immediately set upon by Jedi, or New Republic Soldiers attempting to detain him. Not even a measly defense turret decided to open fire on him. The ship was just.. Quiet. Cautiously, Iudex holstered his lightsabers, casting a weary glance at Shimmer, Sabel, and Zestus, frowning once he found them sharing similar concerns.

A minute passed, and then another, still nothing. Seeing the others begin to use the provided medical supplies, Iudex quietly lowered himself onto one of the Lounge's cushions, opposite from the others. They had suffered greater physical injuries than him, it was only fair they tend to themselves first. But, it didn't matter. An instant later, his own senses simply blinked out as an apparition willed itself into existence a few seats away. Before he could react further, his sight returned, albeit dimmed under the overpowering light of a new Jedi's aura.

Iudex groaned inwardly, keeping his hands firmly planted on his knees, in full view of the new arrival. Without looking, the Falleen knew who it was, and how drastically outclassed he was by him. The thought of fighting back hadn't even entered Iudex's mind, how could it, when he was seated across from THE Jedi.

Luke Skywalker.

"A pleasure, Master Skywalker. Lord Iudex of Sennex." Iudex introduced himself with a respectful bow to the Jedi. Skywalker was clearly aware of their allegiance to the Dark Side, but with some careful prodding, Iudex hoped to use his station as a legitimate Noble of the Hapes Consortium to look past such things.

“A Pantoran, a Falleen and a human go into a bar…” Luke says dryly. “I would prefer if we didn’t start off on a bad foot, Lord Iudex. I am aware you’ve come here to destroy the superweapon and Imperial presence here, presumably as a pretext of taking over the Empire.”

Luke shrugged. “It’s not official New Republic policy to care who leads the Empire as long as the Galactic Concordance is abided by. And there is no official Jedi Order to have a policy against the so-called Acolytes of the Beyond.”

Of course the Sith were ‘pretending’ to be the Acolytes.

He leaned forward. “But I do take umbrage to your order assaulting my sister and brother-in-law on Kuat. I can say with some certainty that had the cultist I decapitated there - ‘Insipid’, I believe was his name - not took that stand against us, we’d never have had a need to cross paths.”

“I suspect that your leader survives in some shape or form,” Luke implied. “So I’d thought it was prudent to make sure that you understood that, and should we cross paths with you again, I will make it my business to destroy your members. Here, on Kuat, in the Hapes Cluster, inside Imperial space…”

His eyes turned to them in turn.

“Am I making myself clear?”

Sabel continued to lean against the bulkhead, affecting an air of nonchalance. He glanced at Zestus, shaking his head in a No. Luke had given them, especially them, a perfect opening. He glanced over at Iudex and Shimmer before he returned his attention to the Jedi. His voice was smooth as it came out. ”I appreciate your honesty, forthrightness, and direct observation, Master Skywalker.”

He shifted as a small twinge of pain made itself known, ”I suspect that the New Republic’s issues with darksiders will be more reduced with today’s actions. Snoke was behind most of what was occurring across the galaxy and his death will leave a void.”

A small smile touched his lips behind the visor of his armor, ”A void that I have a feeling the Republic and every other polity is going to need to rush to fill and keep from getting chaotic.”

He glanced once more at Iudex and Shimmer, wondering what the Order of which the two men he’d come to respect belonged was going to do with the potential fracture points Luke was introducing. ”I respect your warning to us and will ensure my people respect your decision.”

Of course he left out the fact that he, Zestus, and his people all would be fading back into the Unknown regions at the first opportunity so the Jedi’s threat...warning had little meaning to any of them.

Iudex folded his hands together in his lap as he smiled politely. "I'm afraid you vastly overestimate my ambitions, Master Jedi. Snoke and his ilk brazenly attacked the sovereign territory of the Hapes Consortium." A shrug. "What's happened today is merely the logical result of such an action."

A faint shudder rippled across his face, a momentary break in the charade Iudex had adopted. The insidious tendrils of self-doubt from before were getting more difficult to keep at bay. The Acolytes were dead, did this encounter with Luke even matter? His life's mission was completed, the job was done. It was high time to clock out, retire. Did he deserve to retire? Did he deserve anything now?

Iudex forced a smile, looking directly at Luke. "I assure you, all the Hapes Consortium, as well as our revered Queen Mother, wants is the right to self-determination. With Snoke gone, we may finally achieve such a goal.."

His eyes narrowed. Luke had made it appear as if he didn't know for sure whether or not Insipid was still alive. Let alone within such a close proximity. Was this yet another trap? Or.. Was this an opportunity to possibly distance the Hapes Consortium from the Sith? Doing so successfully would certainly be a boon to their state's longevity. More importantly, it's profitability. But was being caught in such a monumental lie by Luke Skywalker worth the risk? Iudex stroked his chin, stealing a glance at Sabel. No, he decided. The odds were already stacked enough against him, better not stake everything on such a weak lie.

"Master Jedi, your terms are quite clear." Iudex said after a moment, nodding to himself. "I'm sure in time we'll be able to put aside our.. differences in philosophies.. There's no rush, we Falleen are fortunately blessed with quite the long lifespan!" He added with a amiable chuckle.

Luke frowned slightly, and indeed, so would Shimmer. Whenever Sabel and Iudex said the word ‘Snoke’ there was some cosmic interference, as if the Dark Side itself swallowed the world on their very tongues.

Instead Luke heard ’Ren’.

None of the Sith present would know, but this exact thing happened once before. When Darth Plagueis, in his guise as Hego Damask, entreated then-Jedi Masters Dooku and Sifo-Dias, went to speak of Kamino in earshot of Master Jocasta Nu, who was destined to become the Chief Librarian of the Jedi Temple. The Dark Side itself seemed to intervene and prevent him from mentioning the world, and thus Jocasta Nu never knew of the system before she was asked of it by Obi-Wan Kenobi…

… this really happened, I promise you with all my soul (NB: Read Darth Plagueis by James Luceno)

… this narrator tells no lies, and so, allow you to imagine this self-same instance.

The Dark Side did not want Luke Skywalker to know of Snoke yet.

Iudex and Sabel would recognise what had happened of course.

Luke plowed on. “Then we have an accord. You will cease your interference with the Senate and other New Republic affairs, and I will cease my investigations of worlds such as ‘Kesh’ and merely put aside the words of the so-called ‘Darth Cocytus’ a Kaminoan who had a great deal to say about you all. Most of which were lies and half-truths, as you well know. He and his apprentice were on their way to Oovo IV in a beskar prison last I heard.”

His eyes swept them both. “I mention him only because I expect the Acolytes to keep their house in order. Rogue members will be treated the same as ‘official’ ones.”

Luke nodded. “I will be keeping an eye on the Empire and dark side experimentation so do not be surprised if I turn up at the critical moment to foil any screens I consider a danger to the galaxy.”

The Jedi Master sat back. “But now, I am repeating myself.” With that he stood, lightsaber visible on his belt. “I have taken the Falcon into the Maelstrom and I expect the New Republic bombardment will make short work of the superweapon that has been discovered.” He indicated with his chin the rear of the ship. “I expect you and yours to take the escape pods and signal your Hapan forces for pick up. The blockade will be lifted, and your sovereignty respected… as much as you respect ours.”

His eyes were definitely looking right through them.

Iudex narrowed his eyes. The conversation felt off, as if something was getting lost in translation. Snoke. Something, or more likely someone, was preventing Luke from hearing the name Snoke. A triviality, in the grand scheme of things. As long as the Jedi believed a rogue sect of the Sith had been wiped out, did it really matter if the true figurehead remained unknown to them?

He smirked, steepling his hands beneath his chin. "Ah.. Cocytus. You've done us a great favor in imprisoning such a meddler. I'd recommend tossing away the key on that one, quite the trouble maker he is. You'll find no objections on that matter."

Cocytus, Iudex remembered hearing about the rebellious Sith during the first council meeting on Hapes. His imprisonment by the New Republic would be welcome news. One less thorn to worry about. Now, if he could get the other Sith to lay low for a bit, the New Republic might actually turn a blind eye to their territories..

He rose to his feet as well, keeping his hands resting casually on his hips as he bowed his head. "Your hospitality in these trying times will be remembered, Master Jedi. Until we meet again."

Iudex stole a glance at Sabel and the others, but held his tongue as he moved towards the indicated Escape Pods. There would be plenty of time to talk later, away from the discerning ears of Luke Skywalker.

Sabel frowned slightly as he noticed the fact that Luke did not seem to understand or hear Snoke’s name. Something or someone was using the Force to keep that name from the Jedi’s awareness and that caused him a touch of worry. It meant that there was something more still at work. The mention of Cocytus meant little to him, he had intelligence on that Sith but his efforts had not been driven toward his territory so he had been just under observation. However, he nodded at the Jedi’s words, a small smile as Iudex headed for the escape pods.

Nodding back at the Death Star, before he did the same. ”A word of caution, Master Jedi, what was, is somewhat still, animating that lump of metal and flesh, if you destroy the station you may unleash something on an order of magnitude beyond you as you are beyond most Force users of the galaxy.” He recalled the conversation with Hunger and Hate and the mention of the former’s Father. If that was what was animating the station then releasing it from it’s bondage meant that it was free to choose a new host.

”Of course I expect you to take your own counsel on that but I’d recommend you find the best course ahead with it.” He backed down the hall, unwilling to allow his back to be turned to the man, no matter his reputation. The Shadows, Aran Tyr and their loads of bodies and unconscious cargo were already aboard the pods. He nodded to Zestus as he approached one of the last. ”Once more into the fray with barely a weapon, my captain?” he said wryly.

Zestus nodded at Skywalker warily. “Once more, indeed.” He and the others began to gather themselves up to leave, the threat from the Jedi Master unspoken.

“Thank you for the opportunity to be better, Master Skywalker,” Shimmer said, bowing slightly.

Luke looked at the Pantoran and the Falleen. “I shall keep an eye on the threat, but the New Republic will inevitably do what it considers necessary. I am merely it’s warden, not it’s guide.” He quirked a smile as they went to go. “May the Force be with you.”

“The light side, of course.”

Sabel chuckled, ”As you say, Master Skywalker. Yet I am inclined to wish you luck, what I sensed in that station was old, as in near the beginning of time old. Until a further day.”

The last of his people were aboard the escape pods. He stepped onboard the last he saw, turning to the rudimentary controls, as the hatch closed. The pod shot off and he used the thrusters to try to aim them toward the Hapan Battle Dragon he’d seen.

Iudex exhaled sharply from his nose. "Hmph. Indeed, Master Jedi. Indeed you are.."

A single escape pod remained unoccupied, which Iudex quietly slid into. He made sure to be the last Sith to leave, picking up whomever hadn't made it into one of the other pods before finally departing himself. Without another word, the hatch sealed shut, and the pod shot off, aimed towards what friendly forces remained.

TAGS: @Mitth_Fisto, @darthhelinith, @Sinrebirth, @Shadowsun, @HanSolo29, @QueenSabe7, @Lady Belligerent, @Nehru_Amidala, @DarthIshyZ, @Adalia-Durron, @greyjedi125, @Silvertough, @Darth Cocytus (Mentioned), @E. L.Knight

 

IC: Darth Insipid
Battle of Akkadese Maelstrom

The New Republic Super Star Destroyers were moving to flank the great True Death Star, hurling their considerably greater firepower at the superweapon.

Whereas the attacks of Serapis and Estrella had temporarily bled back the flesh-hull, the dreadnoughts instead blew whole chunks out of the True Death Star.

In the Force, there was an inarticulate scream, which reverberated among them all - Insipid, vaguely piloting a shuttle with Azathoth ans Hekate aboard, and the paired escape pods which had Sabel, Isolder, Claiomh, Shimmer and Iudex aboard one - notwithstanding the Falleen’s wishes, there were only two pods and they needed to pile in with him! - and then the other with Zestus and the guards and shadows aboard - and of course the Hapan Battle Dragon which was even now leaking a stream of debris as it moved away from the True Death Star.

Insipid felt a quake in the Force as Astarta-Serapis died, and then replaced Estrella. “Hm,” he said, as one SSD pivoted and reduced both First Order Golan platforms to slag and pyrotechnics. Good thing the Hapan commandos had put out that they had taken the battleship!

There was a lot of ‘free fire’ out there, as sorely outnumbered First Order TIEs battled the superior New Republic X-wings. An explosion took the escape pod containing Zestus and the Aran Tyr with it, and Insipid glowered. That could have been Iudex, Sabel and the others.

He looked for Manticore and Bernael, and gave them a nudge as he leapt forward from the hull of the Eclipse as the First Order Super Star Destroyer turned aside and fled. One less factor to worry about…

“Hold on,” he said to those aboard the shuttle. Mentally, he’d left Hekate to tend to the wounded but he knew Azathoth would be self-sufficient. Gunning forward and paying no heed to their escorts, he headed towards the last escape pod of the Falcon, keeping his Force presence close. He didn’t want the shining nova that was Luke Skywalker to detect them.

But with Manticore speaking a challenge like a proverbial madman, perhaps he didn’t need to. Indeed, Luke Skywalker acknowledged High Lord Manticore and invited him and Bernael to follow him in and die at his blade - or accept an invitation of truce. His intention was clear-cut, a sign of his true power.

“No, not a High Lord.” Insipid said to himself and the Sith on the Hapan channel they shared. “A Dark Lord, is Lord Manticore… he stands besides Tulak Hord, Kas’im, Maul, Vader as an indomitable Force of nature. Sith nature.” When he next spoke to Bellorum, he’d elevate Manticore to the Triumvirate; Soliloquy would not mind after all.

But for his part, Insipid didn’t want to tempt Skywalker into combat, not with so many Sith at risk in the middle of a free-for—all.

He drew on himself, extending a void around the blastboat and Azathoth and Hekate and hiding them within it -

It was too much.

As much as Insipid managed to snag the escape pod with a tractor beam, he spasmed and sent the shuttle into a tumble, dragging them all towards the yawing hangar of the Hapan Battle Dragon that Estrella-Serapis now commanded.

To make matters worse; he blacked out at the controls.

The Hapan Battle Dragon was moving to what was left of their task force as the Millennium Falcon returned to the True Death Star. The SSDs held fire for a moment, and whatever was left of the mind of the True Death Star took advantage. Call it instinct, call it a feral desire to survive, but the True Death Star struck hard - it’s tentacle attack became a set of determined limbs, kilometres in length, as they essentially tried to possess all three Super Star Destroyers!

The shields of the great warships lit up, protecting them for the moment, but lights began to flicker across the Destroyers hull. In moments, the symbiosis would begin and hundreds of thousands of New Republic soldiers would become parts of Death. Suddenly the gravitic anomalies surrounding them in the Maelstrom grew stronger, cutting them all off from hyperspace!

As for the Sith, they were tumbling, quite literally, into the hangar of the Dragon with the Emperor out and cold -

And the God of Death was about to become the Death Star and three dreadnoughts.

You see; the True Death Star was not its final form; it was merely the incubator from which Death would consume the cosmos.

The Hapan ships - their two Dragons, captured battleship and surviving Nova - were completely ignored.

For the moment.

Who would cushion their crash?

Who would give the orders?

What would the orders be?

TAG: @darthbernael, @greyjedi125, @Silvertough, @Shadowsun, @DarthIshyZ, @Nehru_Amidala
—-
IC: Rebecca
Coruscant, The End of Time

It could not be underestimated how disruptive to Greater Plans the Grand Sith Empire had been. The time after the Battle of the Forgotten World was not quite the political peace one would expect.

But by five years after the Battle of the Forgotten World, you could be forgiven if you thought the worst was past.

In the Unknowns, a Shadow War had been fought among the Sith hiding there, and won by Darth Insipid and his Sith Imperium, undoing the ancient Sith redoubt led by Ku’ar Danar and the Chiss Noble House of Tann.

This Grand Sith Empire sponsored uprisings of Sith communities across the Outer Rim and in the Tapani Sector and briefly held Coruscant hostage until the Federation ratified their gains, ruled by a Triumvirate for many years. Indeed, after a decade their preparations were complete and they invaded wholesale the Core from positions in the Deep Core.

Victory came with the fall of Coruscant even as the Sith fought among themselves and the puppet Emperor was removed by Insipid, his secret apprentice elevated to the Triumvirate. Impetuous would see in the news that the Sith he had met at the Armand Isard Institute all those years ago took positions of power in the Grand Sith Empire. It was Manticore that slew Grandmaster K’Kruhk; it was Aryan Graul who stood as Chancellor; it was Insipid who now stood as the God-Emperor, having ruthlessly excised all of his enemies.

But even as Impetuous and his intelligence organisations regrouped from these turnabouts, the Sith that led this Empire suddenly decamped for the Unknowns (along with the Chancellor) and vanished… abandoning the galaxy to what followed - major worlds suddenly smashed, planets nudged into suns, atmospheres suddenly rendered poisoned and billions dying across the stars, Yuuzhan Vong and Unknown Terrors plying the space-lanes for sacrifices, monsters emerging from portals to consume whole worlds…

It was called the End of Time by everyone.

The government collapsed, the Jedi were gone, and the slave-masters often lauded that Skywalker was dead - Cade, that is. No empire survived this chaos, and even though many Sith rose up to claim the void - including those who Insipid had fought defeated - they did nothing but nuzzle up to the Old Ones and hope they wouldn’t be killed on a whim.

Most of them were.

Pointlessly.

Rebecca and Impetuous survived, but not much else did of their previous life did. They’d been on Tannab before it was pushed into it’s sun a few days ago, and caught up in the fleeing populace - most of which had been ushered to the fallen Coruscant to serve the Immortal God of the Sith himself - the Left Handed Lord, Typhojem.

Yuuzhan Vong slaveships couriered millions to the former capital world to be kept as sport, their collective misery and fear and despair the food of the Gods. Coruscant was nothing more than a cattle market for the eldritch terrors that now walked its surface…

… and that was where we would find Impetuous and Rebecca - in a broken down apartment hanging on the edge of the former Senate District.

At the very end of their rope.

TAG: @Narancia

 

IC Darth Bernael
Decisions Made

The battle still raged as the Sith escaped from the Eclipse. Bernael could feel the others aboard the blast boat. He sensed his brother’s fury but he smiled, feeling as the Emperor anointed his brother as a Dark Lord of the Sith.

There was a smile at that, his brother deserved that honor and he sent a thought, ’Congratulations, my brother. Take care of those there, including my unborn. If I do not get the chance to say so again, I am proud to have fought by your side.’ He let Manticore get a sense of what he had decided.

He touched Hekate’s mind, ’There is something I must do, something only I can really do. I hope to see you and our children again, my love.’

He witnessed the SSDs destroying their targets, witnessed as they began to fire on the True Death Star. Fighters on both sides exploded as they fought and he felt the pain as one of the escape pods Manticore was near exploded. But none of that mattered.

He felt Skywalkers challenge and reached out to the Jedi. ’Master Skywalker, your people have made a mistake of colossal proportions. You have a choice, assist me or stay out of the way but what is brewing is beyond the pale, is my Father coming.”

Bernael reached inward, fighting the exhaustion as he touched soul after soul, ripping them free and feeding upon them, taking in their strength and power. The exhaustion faded and he reached out, his Hunger growing. He set it at odds with the ‘thing’ growing in the Death Star. He began to take soul after soul, feeling as he began to drain bodies from fighters, from SSDs.

There was a sigh, he had to accept all that he had. He touched his soul, that which was and had been Zas'tel 'I did not ask before but now we have to stop Death itself. Join with me and we stop the End from beginning, here.' There was resistance but then acceptance and his power grew even more as they worked as one.

And then he did what was needed, he issued the challenge. In a voice that reverberated across the system, mentally, ’FATHER, COWARD, YOU TOOK MY BODY AND FLED TO...THIS? FACE ME, ATTEMPT TO TAKE ME AS YOU ONCE LIVED WITHIN.’

With that he popped the hatch on the TIE, using the power that Ooru once had, morphing, his body expanding, appearing now as a larger version of himself, as life energy flowed into him. His eyes glowed darkly and a second sense of Death began to radiate in the system. He set himself against his Father, set himself to fight the ancient monstrosity that was Cold Danda Sine as it attempted to be reborn.

He floated through space, the armor he’d worn truly now simply a part of himself and he used his power to bring himself to face the ‘thing’ gestating in the station. One last look at the tableau, at his brother as he struggled with the blast boat, at the apprentice almost dead inside, at his Hekate, pregnant with their children. He took in Luke, the shining white light in the heavens. He took in all the souls he was stealing from his father.

And then he turned, and a dark comet arced across the sky, Bernael, as he flashed across the distance and arrowed into the heart and soul of the creature attempting to be born, to fight it from the inside.

TAGS: @Mitth_Fisto, @darthhelinith, @Sinrebirth (Mentioned), @Shadowsun (Mentioned), @HanSolo29, @QueenSabe7, @Lady Belligerent, @Nehru_Amidala (Mentioned), @DarthIshyZ, @Adalia-Durron, @greyjedi125 (Mentioned), @Silvertough, @E. L.Knight

____________________________________________________________________________

IC Sabel
Escapes

The pod spun as space erupted all around it. As the viewport turned first the Falcon came into view, then the SSDs firing on the Golan stations, then them firing on the Ture Death Star. It swung again and fighters beyond immediate count exploding filled the viewport. And then Sabel felt it, felt as the pod with Zestus and the Aran Tyr exploded. He bent over, a silent thought as he felt their souls whisked into the embrace of the Force.

The pod tumbled further, uncontrolled after such a close blast. A blast boat came close, took them in it’s tractor and the tumbling slowed before stopping. A sigh and he checked on Iudex and Shimmer. As he did he tried to reach out the the blast boat, a short ranged comm, [color= #0000080]”Thank you for the assist.”[/color]

He couldn’t do much more but he felt the ‘death and rebirth’ of Serapis, wondering at what that portended. As the pod was dragged along and finally stabilized by the tractor of the Battle Dragon they were hurtling toward he felt/heard one last thing that made him close his eyes and hope that he was not about to lose a companion, Bernael’s mental shout as it echoed across the system.

Just before they entered the hangar of the Hapan ship the pod rotated one last time and he saw the black comet of Bernael as it streaked across the sky, ”May the Force serve you well, Lord Hunger” he whispered.

TAGS: @Mitth_Fisto, @darthhelinith, @Sinrebirth, @Shadowsun, @HanSolo29, @QueenSabe7, @Lady Belligerent, @Nehru_Amidala, @DarthIshyZ, @Adalia-Durron, @greyjedi125, @Silvertough, @Darth Cocytus (Mentioned), @E. L.Knight

 

OOC: Double post approved by GM

IC Renn, Helinith, and Tamus
Onboard the Luxury Elite

Renn held onto Tamus as they waited for the new juice to arrive. He touched a fingertip to where there was a spot of juice on the table. Touching it to his lips he snorted, ”I do not believe you or Emperor Graul would have done so, Empress, but someone did put some herbicide in Tamus’s juice. Which is like putting your favorite spice on a dish, to Neti. So whoever did so is ignorant of our kind.”

He’d taken notes on his pad as the Dark Lady had spoken. Pulling the data and schematics for the Golan stations to his pad he knew he and Helinith could peruse them later. After he picked up the card for the room, he looked back to the Empress, ”Thank you, I believe Helinith and I will take our leave now, get that rest, and prepare.” he glanced at his wife, ’And get you out of here before you launch yourself over the table at the Emperor. We can let our anger out later.’ he thought softly.

Helinith allowed Renn to steer her out of the cabin, away from the self proclaimed 'emperor' and 'empress'.

She still felt very uncomfortable leaving Hapes, plus she was still convinced there was some sort of coup hiding in there somewhere but she couldn't nail down what it was nor any way she could stop it.

However, the idea of doing something active, that didn't require dressing up in dresses and being polite to politicians would be a welcome change.

"I need to get changed." She told Renn as soon as they were out the door, "I can't wear this."

She thought back fondly to her usual black jumpsuit and sighed.

"They gotta have something like that around here somewhere, right?"

Renn chuckled, ”This seems to be a Sith luxury yacht. I’d actually be shocked if they didn’t have something like that, love.” He grabbed the arm of a passing crewman, telling the man to grab every black jumpsuit that appeared to fit her and bring them to their cabin. He was smiling now, she was focused on the upcoming battle and not Hapes or the meeting they just had and that was a good thing. When she was dressed as she felt comfortable they could plan the assault of the battle station they had been assigned to take over.

In their quarters, Helinith stripped and began pulling together a revised 'utility belt' of sorts. It was frustrating, not having access to her usual affairs but her datapad was there, along with knives and lightsabers.

And that's the most of it, the rest is just helpful. She thought to herself.

She quickly rescued one of the smaller knives from Tamus and began strapping them back onto herself and as she handled her datapad, an idea started to form in her head.

If they were going to take this on, she wanted to do it her way.

And that meant stealthy stealthy back stabby time.

She shivered in delight in anticipation.

Renn smiled, sighing happily as he watched his wife get changed. He kept trying to keep Tamus from sneaking away with her gear. The little one was beginning to crawl and he seemed to get everywhere at once. He himself had decisions to make about the assault. She was the sneaky little one but he was often the bear in opposition to that. Which could work ver well to their advantage. As he created a ruckus and drew away as many of the security forces, she could infiltrate and take down the command of the station.

He looked at the schematic, ”Hmmm, you do your spider routine and I…” he shifted into the same octokong form he’d worn the first time they had infiltrated Star Home ”I break things that aren’t needed to run the place and rip apart the personnel?”

She grinned.

"You know me too well." She grabbed a couple of thermal detonators for good measure.

"I'm afraid that means you're probably on babysitting duty too."

She cooed at Tamus and picked him up. "Are you going to be a good boy? Yesss you are!"

Renn grinned back, in his new form it was quite a toothy expression. Tamus’s wide eyes looked up at his mother as he cooed back, happy to be held. He glanced over at Renn and then suddenly her arms were filled with a more wooden, smaller version of the form Renn wore now. Obviously his shifting needed to be practiced but for the moment Renn laughed as a small, reedy, but fierce roar came from their son.

”Something tells me he’s up for that plan.” he said with another laugh.

Helinith laughed and kissed Tamus' face.

"Well well well, look who's showing off."

With a fierce burst of protective energy, she hugged him close suddenly. He had a subtle scent, a little like damp grass.

"You stay with your Dad, do not let him do anything stupid. And you don't do anything stupid either. Neither of you do anything stupid."

She shifted Tamus into one arm so she could blow her nose.

Tamus nuzzled against Helinith, a purring growl coming from his throat. His hands held her closely, then he grinned up at her as she shifted him. “Mama…” He grasped her arm with two of his, the appendages extending until he wrapped around her, head on her arm.

Renn smiled, happily, ”I’ll keep him safe, dear.” he said softly. ”I doubt the station crew will know what hit them.” Trying to not give in to the emotions he was feeling, worry for her and for Tamus both at the forefront, he pulled up the schematic of the station, a Golan III.



He walked around the holo image of it, studying it. Eventually a smile came. Pointing to the hangar, ”Tamus and I come bursting in here, rampage up and down the long end of the station, while you make for the command center, yes?”

Holding Tamus gently, Helinith kissed his forehead again as she looked at the projection.

"Have you got a map of the vents? Rather than going for the control tower, I want to try and hit the central computer, do a spot of reprogramming."

She shifted Tamus to her other arm and pulled out a datapad.

"These are Imperial era so fiddling with the coding should be easy. I could read and write this code in my sleep.

I can ensure that all our ships (and any future ones) are recognised as friendly."

Renn fiddled with the schematics, ductwork becoming highlighted in a blue color against the pale outline of the station. ”Hmmm,” he reached out and brushed Tamus’s woodenly furry head softly, ”it looks like they route along most of the main corridors. The vertical ones are on several axis.”

He gestured, showing where several of the smaller vents converged, near the middle of the station, ”If I had to guess, I’d imagine that’s where the central computer is.” He rubbed Tamus’s head, glancing down at his upturned face, ”I think a family shower is going to be needed after this, don’t you, little guy? We’re going to be covered in blood and guts and mama in, probably webs and dust from those vents, she’ll probably hug us as she tosses us into the fresher.” Tamus looked up at his dad with wide eyes, grinning broadly.

Helinith smiled to herself at Renn's words.

"Well, this is certainly not what I expected of our first family outing, but it'll do."

Not that she knew what normal people did for a trip out with a baby. She made a note to herself to look that up another time.

She handed Tamus over to Renn and made some quick notes before downloading the schematic to her datapad.

She was about to put her datapad away and hesitated.

"Let me take a photo of Tamus with his dad."

Renn turned toward her, dropping so that two of his arms as well as his legs were knuckling the floor. One arm moved Tamus so that he was clinging to the fur of his back, up by his head. With a thought to his son, they both made very toothy grins, mouths open as though slightly roaring.

As Helinith took the photo Renn met her eyes. When it was done he felt Tamus gripping tightly as he stretched up, then lifted Helinith up into a hug. ”Don’t forget, I’m the only one who gets to kill you as I know you’re the only one who gets to kill me.” It may seem a very odd way to say I love you to one’s mate but that simple thing meant worlds to both he and Helinith.

He coughed, extended a massive arm, ”So, shall we meet the others in the hangar, the Dark Lady did say to meet her there when we were ready.”

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