| abstract
| - TITANIA... Remus Von Grath, his meeting with the Sith'ari Darkon proving... interesting and productive, now back on Titania, turned his attention to a serious threat to his war effort: The Ekatra Sentinel Senate. Remus did not like politicians interfering with what had to be done, especially if he was the one doing it, and these Senators fit the bill to a T. They had been trying to run the military, telling the Kamen when and where to attack, and he was fed up with it. So, deciding to settle this problem the only way he knew how, he had called a meeting. A massive meeting. Of all the Senators. Little did they realize that this would be they're last day among the living. Entering the Senatorium, he found the politicians waiting for him. Every single one of them. Stretching out through the Force, he did not sense a trace of suspicion amongst them. "Perfect..." - He thought. Senator Jeel from Titania, the head of the Chamber, stood up. "Lord Von Grath, we are gathered here at your request. What do you wish to discuss?" - He asked, not suspecting a thing. Remus took the stand at the opposite end of the room. "Nothing." - He said darkly. "Nothing?" - Jeel repeated, not sure what to make of the Kamen's answer. Right on cue, four Ekatra Lords entered the room and stood beside Remus, hands in their pockets. "What's going on here?!" Jeel demanded, as the rest of the politicians looked around in shock and fear, as the Senatorium Guardsmen, MagnaGuards from the Clone Wars whom were contracted by the Senators and not the ES, raised and activated their Electrostaffs. Remus straightened his helmet, summoned his lightsaber as the Ekatra did the same, and said: "Kill them all." Less than a second after he said the words, Remus had activated his saber and leaped over 70 feet into the air to the top of the chamber where two of the MagnaGuards were. The Guards, relying on their superior droid reflexes, had Remus on the defense early, until he landed a powerful thrust kick to one's head, knocking it back several feet... The four Lords on the ground floor split up and charged separate directions, quickly slaughtering several cowering politicians, while one ran into a Guard, which had leaped from 25 feet up to get to him. The two exchanged rapid parries, with the Lord easily getting the upper hand. Slicing off a leg, the Guard hobbled around for a few seconds until the Lord stabbed it in the chest and thrust upward, severing its control systems and effectively putting it out of its misery. The Guard fell to the ground, Staff still active while the Lord went in search of new victims... Two of the other Lords however, were in an inverted street fight so to speak with 6 Guards. Defending with their lightsabers, they used the Force to hurl chairs, tables, podiums, and other debris at the Guards, hoping to knock them off their feet. It wasn't working, until a table nailed a Guard right in the face, and the cloth covered its scanning eyes, blinding it. Pouncing on the Guard, the 2 Lords quickly diced it up before it could recover, then jumped back as another Guard nearly cleaved their heads off with his Staff... Back up top, Remus had easily defeated the two Guards he was facing before, and was now killing off politicians with extreme pleasure. Deciding to get a little creative, he began hurling them down 70 feet to their deaths, with both the Force and his hands. But then 4 Guards approached him, and suddenly the fun was over. Or was it? Deciding to take off the kid gloves, Remus unleashed a devastating wave of lightning, which literally obliterated all 4 Guards, leaving nothing but their smoldering ashes behind. With most of the politicians dead, and the rest being unable to escape, and with only 3 MagnaGuards left, it was essentially cleanup mode at this point. The last Lord, who until this point had been killing politicians, was faced with a single Guard. He too decided to get a little creative. Force Cloak - He hid himself from view, and the droid's scanners. Sneaking up behind the droid, he activated his lightsaber again, decloaked, and used it to slit the droid's mechanical throat, which severed the control membranes. Two to go. No sooner had a Guard approached Remus, had it been gored through the middle by his lightsaber, and the lightsaber of a Lord who was there to help. The last Guard, his staff having been cut in two and disabled, bum-rushed Remus as well, but was kicked in the head and stabbed. 5 minutes later, the last of the politicians, including Senator Jeel, had been killed, and Remus was on his way back to the Despair, knowing that now the Ekatra had full control over Ekatra Sentinel, and not a bunch of politicians. Having already sent two-dozen Ekatra Knights adept with Battle Meditation to the ranks of the RTSE fleet, the next thing on his list was to wait for the right opportunity to strike, be it the New Republic, TEC, or Shadow Empire. ON APPROACH TO SERNPIDAL After a full two days' travel, Kiara's Escort Shuttle is about to arrive at its destination... "We'll be dropping out of hyperspace in a minute." - Ruusan, now piloting the ship, called into the passenger bay over the intercom. "Understood. I'll be there in a minute." - Kiara's cold voice came back. Having just awakened from a night's sleep fifteen minutes ago, Kiara was just taking a sonic shower. By the time the shuttle was dropping out of hyperspace, however, she was already seated next to Ruusan in the cockpit, dressed and armed. The mottled sky of hyperspace turned to starlines, which abruptly turned to normal space... and a planet looming in the forward viewport. "Here we are... Sernpidal. The newest haven for mercs, privateers, and anyone looking to fight, and make money while doing it. Ever since those Ekatra guys took over a few days ago, the civil war has been brewing down there, getting worse." - Ruusan stated. Kiara's face twitched into a satisfied smile, before she gave a microscopic nod. "Exactly. All we have to do is pick a side, and offer our services..." - her voice professional, but unmistakably anticipating, while she thought: "Reading a lot of ship activity in-system... most of them Ekatra warships on patrol around the planet, with some merchant and trader freighters." - Ruusan said. "Take us in closer to the planet... I'm sure they've detected us by now, and those Ekatra will be calling us soon." - Kiara ordered. "So... which side do we take... the Ekatra invaders, or the loyalist rebels fighting them?" - Ruusan inquired. Kiara thought about it briefly, before she answered in a thoughtful voice: "Well, the Ekatra are the obvious choice... and it'd be safer. But the rebels are outgunned and losing, they'd probably pay better for elite mercs to help them out... but that would mean going against the Ekatra. We'll see. Let's get a better idea of the situation first... and get some new weapons!" - thinking about the customized Tenloss disruptor she lost on her last mission. Ruusan nodded, as the Escort Shuttle continued toward the planet. Suddenly, there was a soft beep of an incoming hail, from one of the Ekatra warships. "I'd say they spotted us... about time." - the Rodian remarked. Kiara nodded, before ordering: "Open a channel. Let's introduce ourselves..." From his Raptor Battleship, Commander Theodore Wells, who commanded the defense force in Remus' absence and called the shots for what was left of the land skirmishes, addressed the shuttle first. "Unidentified vessel, you are trespassing in Ekatra Sentinel space." - He said. "State your purpose for this intrusion." About to respond, Kiara suddenly paused, thinking: "Hmm... what should we call ourselves? In all the time to get here, I haven't thought of a good name for our little group! But since I've never worked in groups before... Well, how about this..." - she smiled slightly, quickly suppressed, before finally speaking: "This is Kiara, speaking for the Razor Guard. We are a mercenary team looking for potential work in this sector." - in her usual cold, professional tone. Wells, not having a reason to think otherwise, bought the story. "Very well. Dock in Hangar 24-B." - He said, then turned away. "Get ready for a potential battle." - He muttered so only his 1st Officer could hear him. "We don't know who these mercenaries really are." The Officer nodded, and left the room, while Wells returned to the channel, waiting for a response. "Acknowledged." - Kiara replied in the same professional tone, before closing the link. "So, we're the Razor Guard now, eh? When did you think of that?" - Ruusan asked with a Rodian smile. "Just this moment... wish I had more time to think about it. But I'd say it sounds good... right?" - Kiara asked him. "Hmm... well, not bad for a merc team... until I think of something better, anyway!" - he replied with a grin. Rolling her eyes behind her sunglasses, Kiara simply muttered: "Whatever... just cut the chatter and take us in, will you?" Nodding, the Rodian took the ship in toward the indicated hangar, now marked with a landing beacon. Three minutes later, the Escort Shuttle settled down on the landing deck, between other ships in the hangar. "Never seen ships like these... wonder where these Ekatra are from?" - Kiara thought to herself as she looked out the shuttle's forward viewport. "Alright... let's meet out hosts here. We'll carry sidearms only, no grenades or heavier stuff. Don't want to get them twitchy... yet." - Kiara told Ruusan as they walked to the shuttle's exit ramp. "You think they might get that way?" - he asked. "You never know..." - Kiara muttered, as they passed the Cathar hacker on the way, still asleep in her bunk. Just as Ruusan was about to wake her, Kiara stopped him. "No... no need for her to join us right now. Besides, if I've gotten to know her these last few days, I'm sure she'll find a way to make herself useful here." - she spoke in a devious tone. Ruusan nodded knowingly. "Ah... like take a little peek through these Ekatra characters' ship's database, and see exactly who and what they are?" "M-hm. What else are hackers for?" - Kiara responded with a rhethorical question, nodding. With that, the two stepped off the ramp, to find an Ekatra officer there to meet them, with a contingent of troops. Standing on the left was Commander Wells, behind him were some 30 troops, fully armed. They looked something like cyber-soldiers, but were clearly organic. "Greetings, Razor Guard." - Wells said, just as an Ekatra Knight walked up and stood in the middle, hands locked behind his back. Kiara's face remained completely impassive behind her sunglasses as she took in the entire assemblage in one all-encompassing glance. "I was right... these Ekatra are the twitchy type." - lips briefly curling into an unnoticable smirk, the flashy display of force not intimidating her in the least, before she finally focused on the one who spoke: "Captain of the ship, I take it?" - voice studiously neutral, while she stayed alert for anything. "Affirmative." - Was the response. "Well, Captain... like I said, my group is here looking for work. And by the current situation on the surface of this planet that my shuttle's sensors picked up, I'd say you wouldn't mind having a few more guns on your payroll... especially when it comes to the wet work." - Kiara began, voice remaining professional and cold, while her gaze briefly twitched to the Ekatra Knight standing nearby. "Yes... Admittedly, we've been sending down assassins after someone, but... something keeps happening to them..." - Wells recalled. Kiara smiled briefly at that, nodding in understanding. "Probably one of the rebel leaders, I'd guess... with a decent survival instinct! Sounds like a job worth taking... but we'll need more details first." - she said, Ruusan nodding in agreement. "The man's name is Hale. He's the former president of the corporation that ran the planet. He's got a small private army in the southern hemisphere that we thought was wiped out when we first took over. We were wrong. He's got a base there that we completely missed, and everyone we send to take it out..." - Wells explained, not needing to go further. "M-hm... definitely the type to become a rebel leader if someone came and encroached on his interests... like you have." - Kiara stated irreverently, before turning to Ruusan: "What do you say? The job sounds interesting..." The Rodian nodded. "Absolutely... and this guy won't be so hale after we're through with him!" "My thoughts exactly..." - Kiara smirked, a trace of ruthless sadizm in her tone, turning back to the captain. "What's the commission for the job?" - she asked, turning professional again. "What do you want?" - He asked. Kiara considered carefully, the captain's face reflected in her sunglasses... "These guys look well-equipped... I could go for credits alone, but I wouldn't mind having some new weapons... especially since I lost my Tenloss disruptor." - she thought, before replying: "Normally, I'd charge about 20,000 credits for something like this... but I'll settle for 15,000 if you let me and my team take a look through your armoury, and pick up some new hardware. "Plus whatever we can loot once on a mission... should be a very nice deal!" - she added a thought. His face mirrored her expression for a brief moment, before he said: "Fine." "This one's not much for unnecessary talk... my type! Almost... 'cause the size of the backup he brought with him tells me he's nervous." - Kiara thought, briefly amused, before asking: "Any other elements to the mission? Does Hale have a family, and if he does, what do you want done with them?" "Hale's home, and subsequently his family, were destroyed during our initial invasion." - The Ekatra spoke up, silencing the Commander, who was about to say something totally different, judging from the way his lips moved. For a moment, Kiara's gaze flickered between the two of them behind her sunglasses, as she noticed the Ekatra's rather rushed entrance into the conversation, and the way he cut off the ship's captain. "A conflict of interests, maybe? Hmm... something tells me I should expect the unexpected on this mission. Well, I've had plenty of practice with that..." - she thought, before answering, her face remaining completely impassive. "So it's just him, then. No problem. We accept the contract. The payment - half now, half after the job, and we take our pick from your armoury right now, as we agreed. Sounds good?" - addressing the captain. "Yes." - He replied. After a few seconds standing there looking at one-another, with the captain not showing any intention of arranging for the payment, or leading them to the armoury, Ruusan spoke: "Will you take us to your armoury so we can pick the weapons, or do we just roam your ship and help ourselves, Captain?" - he asked sarcastically. Kiara remained silent, looking at the fidgeting captain, and thinking: "This one's as nervous as anyone I've ever seen... wonder who's really in charge here. Him or this robed creep?" - glancing briefly at the stone-faced Ekatra Knight. Finally, someone spoke up, but it wasn't the Commander. "I will take you to the armory, and hand over your payment." - The Ekatra said. "But what about the-?" - The Commander began, but was silenced by a single dark glare from said Ekatra... "Guess that answers my question... the robed one's in charge." - Kiara thought, before she spoke to the Ekatra: "Excellent." - falling in step with him, with Ruusan bringing up the rear, as they walked toward the hangar exit. ~~ Meanwhile, in the shuttle, the Cathar hacker had just awakened... The Commander took several steps toward a console on the wall just outside Kiara's shuttle, but he was quickly grabbed by two of the troops. "You're coming with us." - One of them said, as the two began to drag him down a seperate corridor, with him screaming and struggling, while the rest of the troops followed, thinking no one else was around. ~~ The Commander's screams, although faint, were just loud enough to catch the ears of the Ekatra, Kiara, and Ruusan. "What was that all about?" - Kiara asked the Ekatra as they walked, referring to the faint screams. She kept her tone casual and seemingly disinterested, though the entire series of events, starting with the captain's nervous behaviour, and ending with these screams, had piqued her curiousity... as well as suspicion, as her right hand came to rest lightly on the handle of her DL-44 heavy blaster, ready to draw it in a flash, if necessary. Likewise, Ruusan had also tensed slightly at the screams, his own hands creeping closer to his twin holdout blasters. As they walked, the other crewmen they passed by all seemed to give the Ekatra a wide berth... ~~ Meanwhile, Farenni was observing the hangar bay through the shuttle's external camera. Noticing that all the troopers have departed, she decided to sneak out, and take a look around. Her madness flaring, she thought: "These Ekatra are... not as they seem. Waaah! I can almost feel it..." - as she walked down the landing ramp into the hangar. ~~ "There have been recent changes in Ekatra Sentinel." - The Ekatra said as they approached the door to the armory, where he stopped, then turned around. "No longer are we contained by the ill-concieved wills of non-believers." - He said with a wicked grin as he pried open the door. What was inside would make any normal sentinent being throw up. Dozens upon dozens of dismembered and disfigured troops lay dead on the floor, armor scorched from blaster fire, and limbs severed from lightsabers. Not pausing for even a second, the Ekatra walked in, and pointed to a massive locker. "These lockers are where the weapons are." - He said non-chalantly. ~~ Fareeni was completely alone in the hangar, save for a few technician droids. ~~ Kiara, having seen her family slaughtered as a child, having experienced Nightsister interrogation and torture sessions personally, and killing literally hundreds of people over the years, in the course of her many missions as a mercenary, didn't even blink as she entered the armoury, stepping over the corpses sprawled everywhere, relishing the lingering stench of burned flesh. "Looks like you've done some purging of ranks, hmm?" - she remarked to the Ekatra in a cold voice. The Rodian mercenary, however, more than made up for it, as he leaned against the bulkhead outside the armoury, barely restraining the sudden bout of nausea, and muttering to Kiara: "Think I'll just wait out here..." "Go ahead... I'll be along in a minute." - Kiara said, before walking toward the massive locker. As she opened the locker, she couldn't help but whistle softly at the contents... "Wow... are those some kind of mass-drive slugthrowers?! What's this - a hypersonic sniper rifle? And with a suppressor! Let's see... firing charged magnetic slugs at speeds that can get through Mandalorian armour! And what do we have here, hmm... some kind of energy-dampening disintegration grenades? Wouldn't mind having these against heavy war droids! Ahhh... fate is good to me." - she thought, as her self-control gave way to her Nightsister killer instinct, face spreading into a vicious, almost ecstatic, smile. Taking out the hypersonic sniper rifle, she sighted through its scope... "Auto-adjustable ranging and elevation compensation... Selectable night-vision, IR mode, UV mode, laser sight... perfect! This one is MINE!" - Kiara thought, slinging it across the shoulder. Then she picked out eight of the disintegration grenades, and four mass-drive slugthrower pistols, for herself as well as Ruusan and Fareeni, along with several spare cases of mass-driver ammunition for the pistols, and charged magnetic slugs for the rifle. Turning back to the Ekatra, she nodded: "This was worth the walk from the hangar... now for the second part of our deal - 7500 credits up front, 7500 after the job's done." - keeping her voice cold and professional as usual, despite her excitement. ~~ Noticing a line of blinking, beeping consoles along one of the walls, the Cathar approached them, unpacking her neural connector, and plugging one end into her neural dataport... "Waaah! Let's unveil their secrets!" - she thought with an eager smile across her feline face. ~~ "A wise choice." - the Ekatra said, actually smiling for a brief moment. After he said it, a pair of the cybernetic soldiers from before, different from the ones laying dead in the room, entered, holding a briefcase. "Here are your credits, Ma'am." - one of them said in a partially robotic voice. ~~ Fareeni was faced with, surprisingly, no security passwords or lockouts. It seemed that someone, during some fight, or otherwise, left it open. Scanning through the various files, she found little of interest. Mostly ship movement and data from the battle. That was, until she stumbled across an audio file from Remus' office on Titania, sent to every ES base in existence... ~~ Wordlessly, Kiara opened the briefcase, then pulled out a small instrument from her pocket - an electronic currency counter. She passed the device over the chits arrayed inside, on top of one-another, before taking a look at the small display on the instrument: // 7500 credits // Putting the counter away, she snapped the briefcase shut, before speaking to the Ekatra; "Excellent. We're in business." - while thinking: "If the amount were lacking, you would've regretted it..." - before walking back out of the armoury, where Ruusan was waiting anxiously. "Well?" - he asked. "The job's on... and we've got some new toys." - Kiara said, handing him a pair of mass-drive slugthrower pistols, and two disintegration grenades. "Niiice." - the Rodian muttered, balancing the guns in his hands. "Let's go." - Kiara intoned, starting back down the corridor toward the hangar. ~~ Momentarily gaining control over her madness, the Cathar thought: "An open audio file, from their leader's office on their homeworld... curious. Too curious for me to ignore..." - she thought, accessing it. ~~ The Ekatra watched them go, and then walked after them, deciding to escort them out. ~~ The audio file began to play: "Orbital Transit Station 24-B." - the Ekatra's voice said. There was a brief pause for a moment, until Remus' voice was heard, which was obviously a recording: "Attention all Ekatra within the Sentinel. The politicians have been dealt with. We are in control at last... Activate the CyberSoldiers, and commence with Executive Order 212." The recording stopped, and the Ekatra's voice was heard again, substantially more devoted this time: "It will be done, my Lord." That was the end of the audio file... ~~ While he walked, the Ekatra conversed with one of the cybernetic soldiers, who must be one of the CyberSoldiers in question: "Have any other bases recieved the Order yet?" - he asked. "Negative." - the soldier said as they walked. ~~ "Some sort of internal power struggle... hardly something for us to be concerned about. Except to confirm that these Ekatra are not what they seemed." - the Cathar thought, as she disconnected, and made her way back to the shuttle, still in control. ~~ "These guys give me the creeps." - Ruusan muttered as they walked, thumb pointing behind at the Ekatra and the Cyber troops. "Don't rely on outward impressions... those cyborg freaks looks scary, and I'm sure that armour can take some pounding, but I can tell by the way they walk they're not too good in a real fight." - Kiara retorted, before adding: "That robed one's a different matter though..." "What do you mean? He doesn't look all that tough to me... just some guy in a silly robe!" - the Rodian remarked. Kiara scowled at that, before replying: "Keep your voice down! And like I said, don't rely on outward impressions." With that, they reached the hangar. ~~ The CyberSoldier walked away, as the Ekatra caught up to Kiara and Ruusan. "Is there anything else you need?" - he asked, doing his best patient person impersonation. "Just a rough location of Hale's base on the planet surface transmitted to my shuttle's nav computer. Besides that, I get the feeling you're not telling me something about this Hale character... what was that captain of yours about to say when I asked if Hale had any family?" - Kiara replied, looking the Ekatra directly in the eye. The Ekatra pulled out a small chip, and handed it to her. "This will give you the exact location. Just don't try to land there directly..." - he muttered, grinning a bit. "Now, about Hale... Like the former Commander said, his family was destroyed during our initial invasion. As for what he was about to say... He was going to ask you to 'help' him... See, he knew he was about to die..." - the Ekatra said, his eyes showing little emotion now that his grin had faded. Keeping her face impassive, Kiara simply nodded, taking the chip and ascending the shuttle's ramp, while thinking: Resolved to expect the unexpected on this mission, and equally resolved that the Ekatra cannot be trusted, Kiara made her way to the cockpit, sealing the ramp and launching the shuttle, while Ruusan and Farenni took the copilot seats. "Well, as long as they're paying, I don't care about their internal agendas and power struggles. But I'll keep an eye out, anyway..." - she added a thought. "What are you thinking?" - Ruusan suddenly asked her, many thoughts going through his head as well, as the shuttle was descending toward the planet. "I'm thinking that our lives are about to get... interesting." - Kiara muttered under her breath. ~~ The Ekatra watched them go, and a CyberTech walked up to him. "We have successfully implemented the 24 tracking devices in the specified places, Sir." - he said, handing him a control pad. "Good. I'll be sure to inform Titania of this... We'll see if they get back alive. Those Goallas are nasty..." said the Ekatra, looking over the pad and switching between screens, finally finding one allowing him to view the shuttle's occupants as he walked to his new office. WAYLAND RESERVE STAGING AREA In the following day since the RTSE forces have suffered a setback from the New Republic counteroffensive against their forward defense perimeter, the situation had remained largerly unchanged. With the reinforcements he called in from deeper into RTSE space, Fleet Admiral Rajko had managed to check the New Republic success, but that was all. With the Jedi Battle Meditation Adepts assisting them in nearly every battle, the New Republic forces enjoyed an advantage in any direct skirmish... although Rajko's stopgap tactics of raiding specific New Republic ships during the battle, and assassinating the Jedi aboard had proven successful, with more than a few Battle Meditation adepts eliminated throughout Bel Iblis' task force. Current time, Wayland system, in the middle of a renewed New Republic attack... the assassin squad of three Acolytes has infiltrated Bel Iblis's flagship, the Twin Suns, and are searching for their target Jedi aboard... "There's one! Get him!" - a New Republic troop sergeant exclaimed to his quartet of men, as they caught a glimpse of one of the Acolytes just entering an observation gallery on one of the decks just above the hangar. Taking a quick but long step to the side, the Acolyte anticipated the first three shots, while the rest spattered off his lightsaber, deflected in random directions, only one being redirected back at one of the troops, killing him. Without Force Speed or Jump at his disposal, he had to use various objects in the room as cover, as he advanced closer to the troopers. Once he was in range, however... Force Pull - the sergeant's rifle suddenly flew from his hand, neatly severed in two by the Acolyte's lightsaber. In the next semi-second, the Acolyte Force-pushed the sergeant into one of the other troops, bowling them both over. Rolling to throw off the the remaining two troopers' aim for a second, he threw his lightsaber at them... Guided by the Force, the saber dismembered both troops in turn, as the other two were just getting back up on their feet - the Acolyte already running toward them, recalling the saber back to his hand. Just as the sergeant was back on his feet, his sidearm blaster pistol now in his hand, a backspin kick to the jaw from the Acolyte sent him flying back to the ground, before the lightsaber found the last trooper's hands, severing them off along with the weapon he held. "AAAIEEE---" - the trooper's shrill scream was truncated when the next saber slash made him a head shorter, the head rolling away from his crumpling body. Half-dazed by the kick, still on the floor, the sergeant tried to bring his blaster pistol back on the Acolyte. He managed to fire one deflected shot, before the weapon was kicked from his hand, and his right arm was pinned hard under the Acolyte's right boot. The Acolyte put his lightsaber to the sergeant's neck, before he snarled: "WHERE IS THE JEDI, WORM?!" "There... there are no Jedi... aboard!" - the sergeant ground out through clenched teeth. The next thing he knew is searing pain, as his left arm was cut off at the elbow by the Acolyte. "AAAAHHH!" - the man screamed, as the Acolyte laughed sadistically, before exclaiming: "You pathetic fool! For every lie you tell me, I'll cut off one of your limbs! We already KNOW there are Jedi aboard, doing your winning for you, else we wouldn't be here! You think your kind warrants our attention? Make it easy on yourself and tell me... I might even let you live." "Aah... alright! He... is... in the... obeservation lounge... one deck... below the bridge!" - the sergeant groaned in intense pain. "That's more like it... thanks!" - the Acolyte smirked, as he lifted his saber for a finishing move on the sergeant. "B...but you said--" - the man began, before the saber skewered him in half diagonally across the chest. "I said I MIGHT let you live... or might not, I suppose..." - the Acolyte hissed in a falsely thoughtful voice, before moving on. ~~ On the Twin Suns bridge... "What's the status on the intruders, Lieutenant?" - Bel Iblis asked his aide, while remaining focused mostly on the battle unfolding outside. "We've taken one Acolyte out... we think two more are still on the loose aboard! And there's still at least one squad of RTSE troops left." - the lieutenant reported. "Mmm... distracting us from finding the other two Acolytes." - Bel Iblis nodded grimly, before adding: "Where is Adept Korl'Letus right now?" "Still in the observation lounge, performing Battle Meditation, sir." - the aide replied. "Double the security team outside the lounge. Immediately!" - Bel Iblis ordered, while he thought: "Yes, sir!" - the lieutenat saluted, nodding to the ship's security chief. ~~ Meanwhile, the Acolyte had progressed four decks above, avoiding the ship's crew and troops as much as possible, and had now joined with the other surviving Acolyte, both of them converging to the observation lounge. ~~ "Commander, we can't hold out here! Whoever these guys are, they're good!" - one of the troops of the last surviving RTSE squad supporting the Acolytes called out over the sounds of blaster fire and slugthrower shots. "Fall back to the storage bay and join up with us, Corporal!" - the commander replied over his helmet commlink, his half-squad of men now down to only two troops and him. "Understood, 771!" - the corporal acknowledged the order, as two more of his troops fell to the supersonic armour-piercing slugs fired by the Hapan Select Commandos they were fighting. Left with only one trooper of the original five, the two of them began to fall back toward 771's position, laying down heavy suppressing fire to prevent the Hapan troops from following them. At the corridor intersection, however, another Hapan flanked them, taking them by surprise at close range. The last trooper with the corporal screamed, as the commando's electro-staff came in contact with his metallic armour, sending a powerful electrical surge through the trooper, before the commando's right foot came up in a hammer-kick below his chin, taking his helmet cleanly off his head. The trooper only had time to let out a scream as the other end of the electro-staff stuck him hard to the side of the neck, breaking it sideways. Without a sound, the trooper plopped to the deck, dead. "Blast it!" - the RTSE corporal thought in dismay, bringing his blaster rifle to bear on the commando, taking a hasty step back. However, the Hapan commando anticipated, dropping down and forward to the deck as the first bolts came at him, while lashing out with a low-sweep kick at the corporal's feet. With a metallic thud, the corporal fell sideways to the deck, as the commando was already back on his feet, stepping hard onto the blaster rifle, preventing the RTSE trooper from aiming it again, as he brought his charged electro-staff in contact with the corporal's armour, keeping it pressed for ten seconds - until the corporal's screams of pain caused by the electrical discharge faded, and he was literally fried inside the armour. "453, come in!" - the commander barked, calling the corporal. "Corporal, respond!" - he tried again. "Looks like they got 'em, sir..." - one of the two remaining troops with him muttered nervously. "Blast... move out, Private! We don't want to be cornered in here when they come! We'll take the fight to them!" - the commander barked. The three troops stormed out of the storage bay, dropping to one knee as soon as they were out in the corridor, before cautiously advancing forward. Suddenly, two Hapan commandos appeared around the far corner of the corridor, heading their way. Caught by surprise, one Hapan was blasted momentarily by a hail of blaster fire from the RTSE troops, while the second rolled to the side, his slugthrower assault rifle spraying a hail of bullets at the RTSE troops. The trooper to the left of 771 went down with a scream, three slugs perforating him, before 771's blaster bolts caught the second commando, burning through his chest and stomach. "Advance." - 771 commanded the last trooper remaining, his electronically filtered voice remaining dispassionate and professional, despite what he thought: "I don't think we're getting out of here alive..." - both of them again moving forward in a half-crouch, blaster rifles at the ready. Just as if to punctuate his words, two more Hapan commandos suddenly leaned in from behind a corner, unleashing with a sustained burst of slugthrower fire - shredding 771 and his last man before they knew what hit them. However, their delay did buy the two Acolytes the time needed to reach the observation lounge... ~~ ...to find the lounge doors guarded by a quartet of standard Republic troops, and a pair of Select Commandos. Saber Throw - both Acolytes threw their sabers at the assembled guards, before any of them could react. The standard troops were caught squarely, barely having time to scream as they were dismembered where they stood, but the two commandos cortosis-laced battlesuits gave the Acolytes an unpleasant surprise... ...as they resisted the searing blades with barely a shallow furrow and a brief vince of pain from the commandos, while they extended their electro-staves, and moved in to engage the Acolytes in melee combat. The fight lasted for a good five minutes, with the Select Commandos' training, electro-staves, lightsaber-resistant suits, and Echani martial art expertise allowing them to hold well against the Acolytes for awhile. However, in the end, they were no match for the Acolytes' Force powers, Force anticipation ability, and Teras Kasi training. At the battle's conclusion, one Acolyte was dead, with one of the Select Commandos as well, before the other Acolyte defeated and killed the second Select Commando, a woman, with a vicious hook-kick to the jaw, breaking it and dropping her half-unconscious to the deck, several teeth blasted out, before finishing her off with several Force Lightning bursts, one after another. "Nice moves, foxy... too bad I had to kill you! Would have liked it more to have... taken... you first." - he muttered with an evil grin, vincing slightly at the several bruises he received during the fight, but still enjoying the pain. Approaching the sealed doors, he stabbed the tip of his lightsaber at the center, beginning to cut through... ~~ "So, Sith... you have arrived to try and end me." - Kor'Letus thought, rising from his Battle Meditation posture, and facing the melting doors. Unclipping his lightsaber from his belt, the young Togruta ignited it, a brilliant green blade, and took a ready-stance, waiting for the Acolyte to break through, while thinking uneasily: In that moment, the doors melted through, and the Acolyte leaped in through the glowing cut-through hole. Smirking at the Togruta standing seven meters before him, with an uncertain expression on his face, he intoned: "How do you want it, little Jedi... fast or slow?" - while using the Force to twirl his lightsaber briefly, before suddenly lifting his other hand, and sending a Lightning burst at Kor'Letus. Force Absorb - the lightning bolt was absorbed and dissipated, as Kor'Letus managed to defend in time, a soft bluish halo beginning to glow around him, before he replied to the Acolyte: "I don't want to fight you, Sith... but I shall if you don't back down." - trying to keep a steely tone, but failing, his nervousness seeping through, and being instantly picked up on by the Acolyte. "Pathetic." - the Acolyte thought, as he rushed in with an exultant roar to engage Kor'Letus in a saber fight. Kor'Letus took a hasty step back, parrying the first slash, before the second one, an unpredictable upward-diagonal swipe, almost skewered him in two, had he not taken another step back. Force Push - realizing the Acolyte would tear him apart in a direct fight, the Togruta decided to try and overpower him through the Force. As the Acolyte was thrown backwards five meters, landing in a heap to the deck, Kor'Letus followed up with a Saber-Throw. With a roar, the Acolyte rolled to the side, bringing his saber up to parry the thrown saber - successfully, as the saber rebounded, and returned to Kor'Letus' had, without even nicking him. "Nice try... but those dirty tricks won't save you, Jedi!" - as he sprung back to his feet, and rushed in again, this time adopting a Makashi, Contention form. While his knowledge of Makashi was decidedly limited, it was enough to allow him to partially resist a repeated Force Push from Kor'Letus, only staggering a pair of steps back this time. "I have to keep him at arm's length... can't let him get close, or he'll kill me!" - Kor'Letus thought, about to follow up his Force Push with a Force Throw, bringing one of the wall-displays in the room hurtling at the Acolyte. However, the Acolyte anticipated the move, bringing his saber to slash through the incoming display before it could hit him, before ducking another piece of machinery Kor'Letus had thrown at him. Straightening up, he gloated: "Keep it up, Jedi... when you overtax your Force power, you're mine!" The Togruta's face became pinched, as he recognized the truth of the Acolyte's statement. "I can't... keep this up much longer... and I was already exhausted from Battle Meditation!" - trying another Saber-Throw at the Acolyte, which was easily blocked and repelled. "Alright... my turn!" - the Acolyte decided, seeing the strain in the Adept's Force sense after this last exertion, and the collapse of his Force Absorb effort. Force Pull - just as Kor'Letus was grabbing his lightsaber after his unsuccessful Throw, he felt himself taking three involuntary steps toward the Acolyte. Barely having time to bring his saber up to blocking position, the Acolyte was already on him again, with a combo of slashes and stabs. Kor'Letus blocked the first strike, then barely caught the second one, each time taking a step back, before the third slash took him across the legs, severing the left leg at the thigh, while scoring a deep furrow in the right one. "AAAAHHHHH!!!" - Kor'Letus screamed in agony, as he collapsed like a rag at the Acolyte's feet. Lifting his head to the grinning Acolyte, he began: "P...p...please... Aah! Please... d...don't kill m...me!!! Aaaahhh!" - he ground out between screams of pain. The Acolyte's grin vanished, replaced with cold, disgusted contempt, as he thought: "The Master always said the Jedi were pathetic... but I didn't expect they were THIS pitiful!" - before he intoned coldly: "If you couldn't fight like a man, at least try to die like one!" - bringing the saber down on Kor'Letus' neck, silencing his screams with a severed head. Stepping away, the Acolyte raised his commlink: "Admiral Rajko, I have slain the Jedi worm! Our forces will no longer be hindered in this battle!" ~~ On the bridge of the Zatornik, Rajko's face spread into a battlefield grin as he head this message. "Acknowledged, Acolyte." - closing the channel, before he opened a fleet-wide link: "All ships, reconfigure into Encirclement Formation 2A! Focus on eliminating the largest enemy ships first. Fighters, stay close and provide point-defense, prioritizing any B-Wing heavy bomber squadrons for destruction. All bombers, attack the support ships. Engage!" ~~ On the Twin Suns' bridge, Bel Iblis had also head the intercepted message the Acolyte sent to the Zatornik. Clenching his fists, he ground out: "Dispatch troops to the observation lounge! I want that Sith bastard dead!" Several minutes later, the report came in that the Acolyte had been dealt with, though not before killing four troopers. Aside from that, Bel Iblis could only watch through the bridge viewports, as the tide of the battle outside turned utterly against him, his forces being surrounded, outmaneuvered, isolated, and defeated piecemeal by the RTSE warships. Worse, having come to rely on the inspiration granted by the Battle Meditation, their normal fighting spirit had become severely diminished as a result. As the situation turned from a debacle to an utter disaster, 75% of his attack force destroyed, the heavily damaged Twin Suns rattling around him from multiple attacking ships, Bel Iblis swallowed his Corellian pride, and ordered a full retreat to friendly territory. Only two ships, besides his Twin Suns, remained in one piece to carry out the order. ~~ Four hours later... the Blood Sanctum had just arrived to Wayland, flying in formation with Rajko's battlegroup, the Ekatra Battle Meditation adepts being assigned to select ships in the battlegroup. Fleet Admiral Rajko had transferred to the Blood Sanctum, to confer with Lord Darkon about this latest victory, and the observations made during the battle. "My Lord, I don't think it would be wise to rely too much on this Battle Meditation ability." - Rajko said. "Why do you say that, Admiral?" - Darkon asked, curiosity evident in his voice. "As useful as it is in enhancing coordination in our ships and troops, the sideeffects are severe. Once we have eliminated the Jedi, and the effect ceased, the New Republic forces were thrown into a disarray. The effect was instantaneous, and very obvious, my Lord. I would estimate their combat effectiveness had dropped at least by 40% compared to their normal level." - Rajko explained, before adding: "I submit that we should only make use of this ability in key battles, and even THEN only when we need a clear advantage over a superior enemy force, my Lord." - he finished. Lord Darkon's face was thoughtful for a few moments, before he nodded: "A prudent caution, Admiral. I agree. In any case, I must commend you on your exemplary performance defending the RTSE territory from an insidiously planned and executed New Republic counterattack. You are once again proving yourself worthy of the trust and responsibility I have handed you!" "For Blood And Death, my Lord! I am honoured to be able to bring victory to the Sith!" - Rajko replied in a steely, military-precise tone, straightening to attention and snapping his hand to his chest. Darkon nodded, before continuing in an evaluative tone: "And now, Admiral, it's time to bring you up to date about a new alliance the RTSE had formed... In the next half an hour, Lord Darkon had informed Fleet Admiral Rajko of the meeting with the Kamen, Remus Von Grath, and an alliance with the Ekatra Sentinel, as well as the re-emergence of the Gatekeeper, and the Shadow Empire. Finally finishing with the mention of an elite strike force to be dispatched into the Mudara Galaxy, and the territory of the SE, Darkon intoned: "You shall be in command of the task force in question, Admiral, since I'm certain the challenges involved will befit a man of your ability. Director Janzer will be reporting directly to you. Meanwhile, I intend to assume direct command of our efforts against the Jedi and the New Republic." Rajko was silent for a few moments, before retorting: "My Lord, with all due respect, I believe you yourself would be better suited in that role, potentially having to battle the Gatekeeper directly. Whereas I could resume my efforts---" - before Darkon interrupted him sternly: "I have made my decision! First of all, you will not be battling the Gatekeeper directly, Admiral. Your strike force will be there only to conduct covert strikes and infiltrate agents into the Shadow Empire operations, while the direct fighting will be conducted by Von Grath and his Ekatra forces. As for the situation here, I have no doubt that the Jedi will make a more substantial appearance now that their gambit with Battle Meditation had failed. And I plan to battle them directly when that happens!" - before adding, with a smile: "Besides, Admiral... when my apprentice had been found, I'll assign her to your strike force. With your strategic insights, Admiral, and Deathstrike there to execute the practical side of things, your strike force's success will be assured." Rajko scowled slightly at that, before beginning in a hesitant tone: "My Lord... about Deathstrike... I don't know whether or not you're aware of it, but the two of us are not exactly on the most amicable terms. Have not been since the last year's battle with the Gatekeeper's forces. She has an issue with my - in her words - ponderous - methods. And frankly, I wouldn't consider her impulsiveness and lack of logical reasoning an asset in a delicate operation such as this one..." - before he stopped, seeing the deadly look in Darkon's eyes. When he spoke, Lord Darkon's voice was harder than a durasteel armour-plate, eyes blazing with such intensity that Rajko found himself pressing into his chair: "Not. Another. Word. Admiral. I am NOT interested in your opinion of my apprentice's methods, nor am I interested in your childish disagreements. Now. I will say this ONCE, and once only: she WILL be assigned to your strike force, and the two of you WILL work together. Effectively, efficiently, and without friction. AM I UNDERSTOOD?!?" - the last question spoken in a bellow that made Rajko visibly flinch. "Yes, my Lord." - Rajko replied, somehow managing to keep his voice steady. Lord Darkon nodded, than smiled slightly. "Good. However, I will take your concerns under advisement, Admiral. Deathstrike will receive clear and unambiguous instructions from me not to make your life difficult when she arrives, and to comply with your orders pertaining to the missions the two of you will undertake. I do realize she can be... exasperating, which is her nature, and how I want her to be, since it makes her more effective at what I have trained her for - and what her duties would most likely be in your strike force, as well." Rajko nodded. "Yes, my Lord. And thank you for listening to my concerns." "Dismissed, Admiral. You are to return to your flagship and set an immediate course for Korriban, where I have already given orders for the task force to be assembled. Once there, you are to take command, and depart for Mudara Galaxy without delay." - Darkon said, as they both got to their feet. Saluting, Fleet Admiral Rajko left the conference room. ~~ Ten minutes later, the RTSE Zatornik, with Rajko back aboard, entered hyperspace, en-route to Korriban. TITANIA, EKATRA UNDERGROUND CYBERSOLDIER PRODUCTION FACILITY Hundreds of former ES troops, in a desperate fight to survive, and perhaps a little bit of party loyalty to the politicians, were engaging the newly-armed CyberSoldiers, who had recently been activated by the Ekatra. Blaster fire echoed throughout every hallway as the mechanical giants came to life, but the clone's weapons proved inefficient against the CyberSoldier's superior armor. And then the CyberSoldiers opened fire. Their heavy assault weapons, rated for starship cannons, quickly tore through the clone's armor, and the halls were soon filled with nothing but the sounds of dying clones, and various never-before-seen weapons. Up above on the streets, frightened civilians had no idea what was going on, and they ran for cover, until the line of battle-scarred CyberSoldiers began to file out of the base. There was a common sense of relief, as everyone present knew that the anarchy reign of the politicians had finally been ended... ~~ The scene was similiar at the other ES bases: the CyberSoldiers, which were hidden in stocks by Remus' regime, were activated, and made quick work of the clones, who were still somewhat loyal to the politicians. But as with every turnaround, there will be resistance. And this case was no different. Surviving clones from the Utapau massacre quickly formed a sort of resistance party with the other survivors, who had managed to sneak over there. Coincidently, Utapau was also home to the ES' former cloning facilities, and at the time, the new ES regime did not know of their presence on their world... THE DESPAIR, IN ORBIT OF PRAXEDIS, EKATRA CONTROLLED PLANET Slowly but surely, reports of the massacres began to file in to Remus' office, which were turned over to him on the Despair. Looking over at the second-most powerful Ekatra in the Sentinel, and one of his best friends, a Lord called Diablo Kretovas, he spoke, short, but exactly what Diablo wanted to hear: "Our takeover has been successful." Diablo returned the look, and said: "Yes, my Lord. We now have control of Ekatra Sentinel." "To that end, Diablo, with the responsibilities of leading the Ekatra Order, the ES military, and now the government, I believe I am going to need some help." - Remus input, pondering. "I agree. You are a very busy man already." - Diablo said, having no idea where Remus was going with this conversation. "It would seem, however, that I cannot trust just anyone to help me. A Lord is required, with experience." - Remus said, thinking out loud. "Makes sense. What do you have in mind, my Lord?" - Diablo asked. "Diablo Kretovas..." - Remus suddenly said, trailing off. "Yes, my Lord?" Remus was silent for a long moment, until he said: "I am appointing you to be my apprentice. You will share these responsibilities with me, and in turn, I will fulfill your dreams..." Diablo was dumbstruck: Remus spoke the truth. Being his apprentice was every Ekatra's dream from initiation into the Order. All the extra responsibilities... Ekatra were taught how to deal with these kinds of things. This was an opportunity too good to pass up, and he knew it. "I accept, my Lord." - he said, humbled. Remus grinned under his helmet. "Very well. Report to my office on Titania first thing tomorrow morning. And bring your Ekatra instincts with you." - he said. ~~ The massive ES starfleet began to fill in back to the various shipyards and outposts in which they came from to be re-fitted with the CyberSoldiers. Among them, General Patricia Reynolds and her fleet. Patricia, only in her late 20's, was estatic about the opportunity that lay in front of her: She had just heard from her former supervisor that she had been promoted to Admiral for her actions in Akates. She was to pick her own fleet now, rather than have one assigned to her. Although she had a few friends on her old fleet, she knew that buisness was buisness. Besides, she had one in mind that she'd like to possess... The 21st Ekatra Starfleet, almost exclusively used for direct assault and used often, one of the most often used in the Sentinel. It was available because its previous Admiral had died in battle, and now she wanted it. All she had to do was file the paperwork, and it was hers... AKATES STAR SYSTEM Just outside the range of the TEC scanners, a massive SE fleet was looming. With three Super Star Destroyers, and over 700 other types of Star Destroyer, Grand Admiral Firmus Delagon of the SE knew he couldn't possibly fail. All he needed was the order from the Gatekeeper... DATHOMIR - REMOTE ENCLAVE OF THE BLOODSHADE CLAN, HOME OF HUNTRESS ZAIYA Zaiya had summoned her team, and the three of them are gathered around a table in the greatroom, discussing the upcoming hunt. "Kiara, mmm? She has practically became famous in certain circles! How long did she actually manage to elude her assassins here? Almost a decade?! Talk about being strong! A pity she is an outcast... she would have gone far here!" - one of the other huntresses exclaimed. "And without training in the Force, no less! Impressive..." - the other one added. "Enough! I didn't call you here for idle gossip! We have a hunt to plan!" - Zaiya snapped, slamming a hand on the table, before adding: "I have a feeling there is more behind this thing then a death-debt..." - she started, then stopped to look at both of them, gauging their reaction to that statement. "Yes? And just what makes you think that?" - one of the others asked, her tone slightly challenging, but not enough to warrant a blood match. "Because unlike you, I actually think about things! Now, consider... you ARE aware that Kiara was a member of the Clawthorn clan, right? And they were serious contenders to the Nightsister supreme leadership at the time. Well, get this - I dug through their sealed clan archives for details, and came across a sealed file, marked *Fireserpent Clan Contention Issue*." - Zaiya replied, a glint in her eye. "Hold on a second - the Fireserpent Clan Contention? You mean the Clawthorns were direct competitors with the clan of the current Matron?!" - the other one asked incredulously. "And how could you even access the sealed archive of a defunct clan?" - the second added. Zaiya smiled insidiously. "Let's just say I have certain... connections. And exactly... Clawthorns were apparently 'this' close to toppling the Fireserpents. When I tried to access the file, I couldn't, of course - I don't have a high enough clearance code - but what also caught my attention is the signature of the seal. It belongs to the Fireserpent clan, NOT the Clawthorns!" "So the Matron or her minions tampered with the file?" - one of the others asked. "Exactly! And the time stamp on the seal puts it AFTER the 'ordained' death on Kiara and the Clawthorn leadership. What does that tell you?" - Zaiya asked, the glint in her eye becoming more pronounced. "That the Fireserpents wanted to eliminate the Clawthorns altogether from the competition, without officially engaging in a ritual war! A clean-cut dishonorable victory..." - the Huntress exclaimed disgustedly. "Precisely. So they arranged the assassination of the Clawthorn leadership, then altered the official Clawthorn records to make it look like the Clawthorns were the ones plotting to do so! Imagine the disgrace to the Matron if this ever comes into the light! And imagine the prestige any clan which exposes this deception would gain in the eyes of our entire community..." - Zaiya whispered in a conspiratorial tone. "Our clan! The Bloodshades! We could even officially challenge the Fireserpents for leadership, AND the prestige gained would insure support from the other clans!" - the second Huntress exclaimed. "Of course, as I said, I can't actually ACCESS the file. But... a survivor from the Clawthorn royal bloodline could! And that's Kiara. Her genetic scan would unlock the hard-coded security lock, and give us access! What we need to do is hunt her down, and bring her here in secret, to the sealed archive depository." - Zaiya explained. "Do we kill her, or let her live?" - one of the others asked. "Well, whether she is alive or dead will make no difference to the genetic scan test, you know that... So let's go!" - Zaiya finished the discussion, heading out to the elegant looking spacecraft parked just outside the house, a typical sensor-stealthed Nightsister infiltration enforcer ship, the other two huntresses following. A minute later, the sleek spacecraft lifted off, its engines working in near-silence, and shot off into the night sky. TATOOINE, ANCHORHEAD SETTLEMENT With a gasp, Jaden Korr suddenly snapped out of the dream, of his climactic last battle with Tavion, and the spirit of Ragnos. Looking around, he tried to get his bearings... "Right... that Recluse character abducted me and dropped me here on Tatooine, for what reason I can't guess, and suppressed my Force connection. Me and a Sith... Deathstrike, no less! And I thought Tavion was intense... Where did she go, anyway?" - seeing that he was alone in the cantina basement the two of them had taken shelter during the night. Getting up, fighting a splitting headache, a sideeffect of the severe heat exhaustion he was in last night, Jaden climbed up the stairs to the basement entrance, and emerged out into the open. Unlike last night, the settlement was a hive of activity, with a myriad of sentients of many different species miling about their business, along with a few droids. By the position of the twin suns visible on the sky, he could tell it was nearly mid-day. "You have finally awakened, have you, Jedi?" - Deathstrike's voice came from somewhere to the left, making him jump in surprise. Turning around, he could see her, just coming out of the cantina's main entrance. Approaching, she added: "I take it you feel better than you did last night?" - in a slightly irreverent tone. "Thanks to you... you were right; if I'd stayed to rest back there in the desert, I don't think I would be alive to talk about it right now." - he admitted reluctantly. Deathstrike moved to lean against the wall, before saying: "Like I told you... just a matter of unpaid debt." - her voice strangely conflicted, which Jaden picked up on. Nodding, he muttered: "I never thought I would actually spend any time with a Sith, while not fighting for my life." - before looking at her. "Why didn't you kill me during the night? You would've had a perfect chance... with me weakened by the exhaustion and--" - before his sentence was suddenly cut off by the hinge of Deathstrike's right palm pressing hard into the nerve cluster at the base of his neck, depriving him of breath and partially paralyzing him, as he suddenly found himself slammed against the wall, Deathstrike's legs entwining around his, preventing any attempt he might make to kick her away. "What exactly do you think I am, Jedi? Some pathetic weakling who needs to wait until the enemy is indisposed to attack?! If I were to kill you, I would have attempted it while you were at your best, not lying on a deathbed!" - she hissed viciously, as Jaden gasped for breath. "I just... thought... since the Sith... like to take... that kind... of advantage... of people." - Jaden groaned in a strained voice, trying to break free, and failing. Deathstrike scowled at that, before releasing him and growling: "That's where you're wrong, Jaden. The Dark Jedi are the ones who do that, because they are WEAK! And by Dark Jedi, I mean nearly everyone who had claimed to be a "Sith" in the recent galactic history. None of them had any conception of what it truly means to be a Sith... a True Sith!" Jaden frowned at that, while massaging his neck. Finally, he spoke: "Yes, I've heard about the seeming differences between your RTSE and the previous Sith-dominated empires, but I thought that was just propaganda? Oh, and one more thing..." - his tone growing angry, before he suddenly grabbed Deathstrike by the neck and slammed her to the wall: "Don't do that again!" - he growled angrily, milimeters away from her face. Surprisingly, Deathstrike simply smiled, without reciprocating to the attack: "So... you CAN be forceful after all, Jedi! But you did ask for it..." - she hissed in a playful voice, before suddenly pushing him away with a quick shove. Then she turned serious again. "It wasn't propaganda, Jaden. We have NOTHING in common with those miserable pretenders who came before the rise of the Reborn True Sith Empire, except that we rely on the Dark Side for our power in the Force. But unlike them, we are not slaves to it... we control it, instead of letting it control us." "Master Katarn taught me that the Dark Side is always in control of its wielders, that it can never be the other way around." - Jaden said, shaking his head. Deathstrike laughed at that: "A Jedi view if ever I've heard one... if that were so, I would have felt no gratitude to you for getting me out of that cave, nor would I feel hesitation and uncertainty about killing you - as I do now." Jaden nodded despite himself. "I suppose not... all the Dark Side users I've ever dealt with only had two things on their mind - getting as much power as they could, and killing anyone who came across them." - thinking about his dream. Deathstrike nodded in understanding. "Yes, I have heard stories that you were the one directly responsible for stopping the Cult of Ragnos, four years ago, weren't you?"- she inquired. "Well, I wasn't working alone... the whole Jedi order was on the case, with everyone doing their part. I suppose it was just a matter of chance that Master Katarn and myself were at the forefront of that effort, so--" - he started, before Deathstrike interrupted with a smile. "Oh, no need to sell yourself short, Jedi... it was you who cut like a blade through those miserable pretenders on Korriban, and cornered Tavion in Ragnos' burial chamber, before ending her and stopping her misguided scheme of resurrecting Ragnos." - she hissed. "Why do I get the feeling you know more about what happened there than you let on?" - Jaden asked, somewhat unnerved. Deathstrike gave him a long look, before replying. "Remember what I told you about training on Korriban most of my life? I was there... with my Master, observing from the shadows when the final battle between you and the cultists came to pass." Jaden couldn't believe what he was hearing. "You were THERE?! In the Valley of the Dark Lords right during the battle? But if so, why didn't you--" - he began incredulously before he was again interrupted by Deathstrike: "...took part in the battle? Why should we? To do so would be to expose ourselves to the Jedi, and the New Republic, by extension, before the Reborn True Sith Empire was prepared to face them." - Deathstrike answered, before adding: "Although, the Master was tempted to take posession of Ragnos' scepter for himself... it would have been a powerful instrument at our disposal." "What changed his mind?" - Jaden asked curiously. "Seeing the effect the Scepter had on those it was used on to grant them Force power. The Cultists - they were pathetic! So unfocused, conflicted, and weak... they were the epitome of those who had become slaves to the Dark Side - the very opposite of being a true Sith. Oh, using it to empower a few thousand would have made a decent disposable army, no doubt... but they would have been unreliable, and ultimately, a wasted effort. Not to mention the effect it had on Tavion herself..." - Deathstrike replied, contempt dripping from her voice. "I take it you didn't think very highly of her? That's strange, since I think the two of you would have had a lot in common." - Jaden smiled at that, then frowned, seeing the look of disgust on Deathstrike's face. "Let me assure you, Jaden... aside from being born on the same planet, and having the same status with the rest of our society, she and I had NOTHING in common! She was weak, rising from a petty Force-capable criminal, to an apprentice of a megalomaniacal Dark Jedi fool, to attempting to resurrect another Dark Jedi fool from the millennia long past, and being posessed and destroyed from the inside out by his spirit, as a reward for all her efforts! She was dependent, weak, and a slave to the Dark Side, and her fate was very deserved indeed." - voice bitter and cold, while she thought: "But Ragnos was actually a real Sith Lord, wasn't he?" - Jaden asked, confused. "Yes... I'm certain he liked to call himself that! But that doesn't change that he was the same kind of false Sith Lord as Emperor Palpatine, Darth Vader, and the rest of their ilk. Fallen Jedi or common Dark Side users, ruled by the Force, instead of ruling it, with no conception of what it really means to be a True Sith." - Deathstrike replied with a smirk, before adding: "Lord Revan was the only one of them who was worthy of that title. The only one that I was taught about, in any case. And today, my Master is the last of the True Sith..." - she finished. "I see... I have to say, I would have never expected any Dark Side user to hold Palpatine in contempt. Master Kyle told me that even Desann practically revered him... you really are a different kind of Sith! You and Lord Darkon..." - Jaden observed, then continued: "So, you're from the same planet as Tavion was? Where exactly do the two of you come from?" Deathstrike was silent for a long moment, eyes glittering with memories and deeply buried pain, before she replied: "A conversation for another time, perhaps. Suffice it to say that the answer is complicated..." Jaden nodded. "Fair enough... anyway, where have you been?" "I was getting familiar with the settlement. Whenever I arrive anyplace new, I like to scout around first." - Deathstrike replied. "While not drawing attention, I see..." - Jaden remarked, taking in the worn-out commoner attire Deathstrike had on over her usual outfit.. "Yes... just something I found lying around. Not that I would need it... the inhabitants here are so varied and colorful I doubt anyone would pay too much attention. But if this Recluse has minions observing us, it would be wise not to look obvious to them - especially when the time comes to find the Recluse himself!" - Deathstrike explained. "Good point... I'll see if I can find one for myself, and then maybe find something for us to do in the meantime... we'll need money, and New Republic chits are worthless here! I'm starved..." - Jaden said. Deathstrike smiled at that. "Well, your fault for adhering to your Jedi morality... I've had something to eat this morning." "What do you mean? You have Huttese credits?" - Jaden asked in surprise. "I didn't... until this morning." - she replied with a grin, turning away. "Hold on... what did you do to get them?" - Jaden asked suspiciously. "Does it matter?" - she asked, walking away. Jaden ran after her and stopped her, grabbing her arm. "You didn't steal them, or kill an innocent to get them?! I can't condone that, murderer!" - in an angry voice. Resisting the temptation to dislocate his arm, Deathstrike simply broke free of his grasp with a sudden fast motion, before growling in annoyance: "Spare me your sanctimonious lectures, Jedi... and I couldn't care less what you do or do not condone! But in answer to your question, yes, I did kill someone... a quartet of Huttling thugs who were suicidal enough to try and take me as a slave while I was scouting the settlement. Their pockets were quite full... and their weapons will prove useful to me, I'm certain." - opening the jacket of her commoner outfit and revealing a pair of blaster pistols, and two vibroblades. Jaden laughed at that, before exclaiming in awe: "You are really something, Sith! Now, things are looking brig--" - reaching for one of the blaster pistols, before Deathstrike's arm blocked the attempt. "Oh, no... you want weapons, get some yourself, Jedi!" - with a smug grin, before she turned again. "And for your information, I don't kill innocents just to get money. I am a warrior of the True Sith, not some petty murderer." - sounding offended that he would even suggest that. "Wait, where are you going?" - Jaden asked, confused. "To try and get any information anyone might have about alleged Force users on the planet, if any. It could lead us to the Recluse." - Deathstrike replied over her shoulder, her tone suggesting she was still insulted by the implication Jaden made, about her killing innocents. "Fine... I'll see about finding us a job... And I'm sorry for what I said!" - Jaden shouted back, not getting a reply. "Nice job, Jaden... that was JUST the right thing to say!" - he shook his head to himself, embarrassed, before walking off. SURFACE OF SERNPIDAL - MOUNTAINOUS REGIONS "Scrambler, status?" - Kiara whispered into her commlink, once again reverting to the use of their code-names on a mission. She was lying prone, peeking over a rocky precipice, a large military base complex lying several hundred meters below, on a narrow plateau, two sides facing the cliff face, the third opening into a narrow forest path between the cliffs, and a fourth directly overlooking the edge of the plateau, with a steep mountainside sprawling down toward the lower cloud layer, and deeper to planet surface itself. Arranged in a roughly rectangular pattern, with watchtowers at each of the corners, the base was well defended from incursion. Surveying the layout through her newly obtained sniper rifle's powerful scope, Kiara could see a half-dozen anti-air defense turbolaser batteries, constantly turning in their stands, scanning the sky. "Approaching with our Escort Shuttle would've been a suicide! Good thing I heeded that Ekatra's warning about not landing directly at the base..." - she thought grimly, as Scrambler's crazed response came back: "The vigilance of their electronic slaves is formidable... Waaah! It shall take some time and effort for the Mistress to assert control over them..." - the Cathar croaked. Kiara rolled her eyes, thinking that this is decidedly not the time for her unstable companions' histrionics. Adopting a falsely awed tone, she replied: "I am humbled by your insight, Mistress! However, might you deign to apply more common terms for your mortal subjects to understand?" - the aweness mixed with just barely noticeable overtone of command - a distinctive voice pattern that Kiara discovered has an effect on the Cathar's equilibrium. The effect was obvious, and instantaneous, as Scrambler replied in the flat monotone she used while in control: "Security grid formidable, Valkyrie. Wide-spectrum sensor arrays linked to automated blaster turrets, and remote-detonation capable minefields at regular intervals around the base perimeter. I cannot bypass any of their proximity sweep scanners remotely. They're protected by multilayered encryption code-keys, and shielded from remote wireless access. Any direct approach to the base perimeter would trigger an immediate alarm, assuming one could even find a way through the minefield." - using their Escort Shuttle's sensors to patch in directly to the base's main computer, under the guise of a regular computer diagnostic check. "Whoever this Hale is... he's good! Advanced understanding of military tactics and defense deployment... no wonder these Ekatra creeps couldn't take him out." - Kiara thought, before asking: "Could you bypass the proximity-sweep scanners remotely if you had one of those encryption code-keys?" "Possibly... yes. Security systems such as this one normally allow emergency remote access by a code-authorized individual, in the event of system failure at the source." - Scrambler replied. "Mmm... then we'll just have to get you one." - Kiara thought, before signing off with: "Keep an active link with the base's computer, and give me status reports at 20 minute intervals. I'll let you know when we have the code-key for you. Valkyrie out." With that, Kiara continued her surveillance of the base's perimeter between the watchtowers... "Guards on patrol... in threes, one of them a war droid, two armed with blaster, droid with an ion rifle. In roughly 75 meter intervals, so the patrols stay within sight of one-another. Smart. If I were to snipe off any one of them, the whole thing would be stirred up like a mynock's nest! Eleven patrols total..." - she noted, before focusing on the inner section of the base. "Four buildings... One large, probably a garrison and command center, and where Hale most likely is, two smaller ones, could be maintenance areas or storage, I suppose... and one with a subspace antenna array on the roof - a comm center, and probably the main computer access point." - she observed, before adding a thought: "Wouldn't surprise me if there's more of the base underground..." - before she focused on the watchtowers themselves. Tightening the scope's magnification as much as possible, Kiara could make out tiny figures of guards inside the chambers on the top of the towers. "Two lookouts in each one... safe behind transparisteel armoured viewports. No chance of sniping any of them off... I doubt even these mag-accelerated pellets would get through that kind of armour. This won't be easy in the least... good! A challenge..." - a slight smile appearing on her face - before her attention was drawn to something the lookouts seemed to be carrying around their necks... "What's that? Some kind of scan keycard? I'll be Kesseled if that's not the encryption code-key Scrambler was talking about!" - Kiara thought, the first shadows of a plan starting to form in her mind. "Just a matter of luring one of 'em out to us..." - she muttered softly to herself with a devious smile, crawling back away from the precipice, and getting to her feet. A commlink beeped on her belt. Activating it, the Rodian mercenary's voice came out: "Valkyrie, Shade. Just finished with scouting the cliffside... there's no shortcut to the plateau from here! Looks like we'll have to climb down through the forest to get to the base." - the Rodian said, annoyance evident in his tone. "Understood. Don't worry, we couldn't get near the base right now even if we had a shortcut, Shade... not until their proximity sweep scanners are down." - Kiara assured him, before adding: "We'll meet back at the landing site and come up with an approach plan... I've scouted out the base, and I think I have a possible way for us to get past their security. Meet you back at the shuttle." "Right. I'm about 10 minutes away from it now. Out." - the Rodian signed off. By then, twilight had already fallen upon the mountainside, and the forest seemed disconcertingly dark, as Kiara walked back toward the landing site. Aside from squeals and calls of mountain birds and small animals, and the soft rustling of the cool wind, nothing else could be heard. However, as serene as the surroundings seemed, Kiara's innate Nightsister stalking sense began to tingle... combined with a "bad feeling" in the gut she began to feel. "Why do I feel like I'm being watched..." - she thought, slowly drawing her DL-44, as she took a careful look around at the darkening forest. Stopping near a large tree, she listened hard. Nothing. However, the background sounds of birdcalls and animal squeals also seemed to have silenced... "Something else is nearby... and it scared off the wildlife." - Kiara thought, now on full alert for anything, her DL-44 rock-steadily aimed at her surroundings, as she silently crouched and pulled her commlink: "Shade, you there?" - she whispered. "About two minutes from the shuttle, Valkyrie. What's up?" - the Rodian replied. "Keep your eyes open. Something tells me you could have company." - Kiara answered, keeping her voice to a whisper. "Nothing out of the ordinary here. What do you--" - Shade's reply was cut off as Kiara shut off the commlink and clipped it back to her belt, noticing what looked like a soft shadow passing over a tree in the medium distance, accompanied by a very soft, high-pitched sound. "That didn't sound like one of the animals I kept hearing before." - Kiara noted. Instantly on her feet, she began to cautiously approach the tree in question, blaster aimed at it. Suddenly, a vaguely humanoid, slightly hunched creature, with vicious looking claws and red eyes, detached from it, before running toward the nearby bushes, at an amazing speed. "What in blazes..." - Kiara muttered, running after it. A rustle of leaves at her back was her only warning. Even as Kiara spun around, dropping to one knee, in the process of aiming her blaster, another of the creatures leapt at her, knocking her down on her back, its claws narrowly missing impaling her through the face, had she not crouched. "Aaah!" - Kiara let out a scream as the creature slashed downward with its right claw, making a relatively deep furrow along her right arm, drawing blood, and sending her DL-44 flying from her hand to the ground two meters away. Snarling, she threw a quick direct at the creature's face with her left fist, catching it in the nose and snapping its head back. As the thing roared, a chillingly inhuman sound, Kiara got one leg between them, and pushed it off of her, while drawing her vibrodagger from her right ankle scabbard. The creature was back on its muscular-looking feet in an instant, before leaping at her again - directly into the blade of the vibrodagger Kiara plunged into its throat, then ripped sideways, slashing its neck open and killing it, with a half-decapitation move. With a growl, the creature collapsed next to her. Dropping the vibrodagger and pulling out the holdout blaster pistol from her left ankle holster, not wanting to waste time searching for the DL-44, Kiara scrambled back to her feet, just as another creature came running towards her, leaping from tree to tree. Kiara started firing at the creature, but was shocked to see the thing actually anticipate the shots, evading them as it approached. Just as it sprung into a leap, Kiara twisted sideways, causing it to overshoot her and land on the ground three meters away. As it was turning back toward her, she caught it in the torso with two clean shots. "Blast! What ARE these things?!" - Kiara thought as the creature collapsed dead to the ground, vincing slightly at the deep slash along her right arm. Suddenly, more high-pitched sounds began to sound out around her, along with rustling of the trees, indicative of at least a half-dozen more creatures in the area. Quickly finding her DL-44, Kiara set off at a dead run toward the landing site, thinking: As she ran, Kiara aimed her DL-44 back the way she came, firing, as the creatures gave pursuit, rapidly gaining on her. Dodging trees and rocks, Kiara pressed on, only managing to keep the creatures, seven of them, at bay by her incessant stream of shots, forcing them to go evasive, thus delaying them. "Sithspit... if the blaster power pack runs out, I'm dead!" - Kiara thought, keeping up her defensive fire. Just at that moment, one of her blasts managed to catch the lead creature in the stomach, killing it. The rest of them fell back further away for a moment, giving Kiara some more lead. Taking advantage of the brief respite, she pulled out her commlik in mid-run: "SHADE! Come in!" - she shouted. "What's going on?! When you cut the link, I thought you were killed!" - the Rodian replied anxiously. "Came close... I've got a half-dozen animal things on my back, and they seem intent on tearing me apart! I'm trying to get to the shuttle before they overtake me and cut me off... meet me there as soon as you can!" - Kiara replied in a voice strained from the pain of her wound, and the running. "What kind of animals?!" - Shade asked. "Never seen anything like them... they're quick, agile, strong, and they can actually anticipate blaster shots! I've taken out three so far, but there are six more on me! Anything in your area?" "Nothing... but I've just about reached the shuttle!" - the Rodian replied, before suddenly exclaiming in a stunned tone: "What in---?!" "What?! What's going on?" - Kiara panted, just as the creatures started gaining again, and she intensified her backward fire to keep them at range. "They're all over the shuttle! Trying to get in... must be over twenty of them! Hunched, brown, with big teeth and claws!" - Shade exclaimed. "That's them! Watch it - they're fast!" - Kiara confirmed. "Strange... they're not paying any attention to me at all." - the Rodian said, confused. Kiara thought about that briefly, before coming to a conclusion: "Must not like your smell, bug-eye! Thank your lucky stars... Hold position and don't provoke them until I get there... then we'll charge in and take them out!" - Kiara ordered, signing off. At that moment, one of the pursuing creatures managed to get witnin leaping range, and made a leap for Kiara's back. Just as the claws dug into her shoulders, a blaster bolt caught it between the eyes. Kiara grunted in pain, but didn't slow down, gritting her teeth and continuing to fire behind her. "Scrambler! Any of 'em got in?" - she then contacted the Cathar. "Waaah! One of the beasts... but it met its fate at my hand! Now the ramp is sealed, and none can reach me!" - the Cathar replied anxiously. "Nice work... keep the shuttle sealed unti we've cleared the rest of 'em out! Then let us in fast!" - Kiara replied, closing the link, while thinking: "Looks like she put that mass-driver pistol I gave her to good use! But if there are twenty of 'em after her... well, I guess Cathar are especially appealing to them! Glad to see I'm not the only one they have an interest in..." - with some amusement, despite the direness of the situation. Just at that moment, the shape of their Escort Shuttle could be seen in the distance. Increasing her sprint as much as she could, she unclipped one of the disintegration grenades from her belt, tossing it behind her, determined to have a decent lead on the creatures by the time she reaches Shade, Kiara dashed toward it. Twenty seconds later, she was there... "Hey! Over here..." - the Rodian waved at her from beside one of the trees at the edge of the clearing the shuttle was in. Kiara ran over to him, while at the same time noticing the mass of creatures climbing all over the shuttle. "This will get nasty..." - she thought, as some of the creatures were already shifting attention from the shuttle to her. "More of 'em will be coming up behind me at any moment! We've got to take 'em NOW!" - Kiara roared, not breaking her run as she came alongside Shade, except to draw her holdout blaster in her other hand. Nodding, the Rodian joined her, drawing both of his new mass-drive slughtrowers. As some of the creatures were charging from the shuttle at Kiara by now, the two of them opened up with a withering storm of fire in their direction. Even with their penchant for anticipation, the mass of hypersonic slugs and blaster bolts coming their way was far too much for them to handle, and they were down within seconds. Approaching the shuttle, Kiara and Shade kept up their mass-fire, mowing down several more by the time they reached the shuttle. The rest of the creatures took momentary cover at the other side of the shuttle, giving the two a narrow window of opportunity... "SCRAMBLER! LOWER THE RAMP NOW!" - Kiara roared into the commlink. Two seconds later, the landing ramp of the shuttle began to lower again. Before it was a quarter of the way down, Kiara and Shade were already leaping up to crawl through the narrow opening, even as they could hear the growls and inhuman screams of the creatures converging from behind. "I'm empty!" - Shade exclaimed, as both his pistols started making clicking sounds instead of firing. "And that's why I stick with blasters for direct fighting..." - was Kiara's fleeting thought, noting that her DL-44's power-pack counter was still showing 43 shots left, out of 175, before she yelled to the Cathar: "SEAL IT!" - just as another one of the creatures leapt to follow them in - meeting a blaster bolt to the throat for its trouble. Moments later, the ramp was sealed again, with Kiara and Shade panting on the deck of the shuttle's passenger section. Banging and scratching sounds of the creatures could be heard outside, as Kiara scrambled to her feet and ran into the cockpit. "Can we polarize the hull to drive 'em off?" - she asked the Cathar woman. "Affirmative." - the hacker replied in her monotone in-control voice, already moving to another console and beginning to type keys in rapid sequence. As the shuttle's hull suddenly had soft electrical discharges arcing across it, the creatures directly in contact with it were electrocuted instantly, dropping dead to the ground. The rest of them stayed near the shuttle for the next few minutes, howling and roaring in frustration, before they began to disperse. "That settles that..." - Kiara muttered, shuddering involuntarily, as the adrenaline began to wear off. "Too close..." - she thought, the pain of the deep slashes across her right arm and back flaring in full force now. "Wow... boss, you look terrible! Let's see what I can do about it..." - the Rodian exclaimed from behind her, before reaching for the medical support locker on the shuttle. "I'm fine." - Kiara muttered, keeping her voice steady despite the incredible pain she was in, as she stumbled to lean against one of the bulkheads. Shade laughed at that, shaking his head: "You would say that even if you were being skinned alive right now! Now lie there and stay quiet while I take care of it..." - mock-sternly, pointing at one of the bunks. Kiara shot him a withering glare, then finally smiled, as she did as she was told. "Thanks..." - she muttered tiredly, as the Rodian began applying bacta patches and bandages on her wounds. Fifteen minutes later, it was over, and the three of them were discussing the situation... "The only came at me when the sun had already set... I think we'll be fine if we're back to the shuttle before twilight." - Kiara said, not sounding entirely convinced. "Maybe... or maybe we could try something else... they seemed to ignore me completely. If you two smelled like Rodians, I think the same would apply for you!" - Shade remarked. While the Cathar woman made a face at that, Kiara only gave him a curious look: "And exactly how do you suggest we accomplish that?" - she asked in a dry voice, not entirely certain she wanted to hear the answer. "Well, my kind can excrete a certain phereomone chemical whenever we want... the closest thing in your term would be sweat. If you were to rub yourselves--" - the Rodian began, as Kiara interrupted: "Okay, this is too much... even for me! You are suggesting we mask our scent by smearing ourselves with your sweat?!" - in a resigned voice, rolling her eyes behind her sunglasses and banging her head against the bulkhead, while the Cathar seemed to be on the verge of nausea. "Something like that..." - Shade replied, unable to keep the snicker out of his voice. Kiara hissed, closing her eyes and thinking: "I'd sooner take my chances with those things! Oh, in the name of..." - as she slowly opened them again, taking a deep breath, and replying in a forcedly neutral tone: "Alright... I'll take your suggestion under advisement... we'll stay out only during daylight, and you see what you can do about... excreting... two - canteens - of this... thing... for us to use, just in case it becomes absolutely necessary." "With pleasure, boss..." - the Rodian answered, openly chuckling now, as the Cathar shot Kiara a disbelieving look. Kiara held up a hand before she could speak: "Not a word... if it comes to that, we'll do whatever it takes to protect ourselves from those things! Including... that." - in a steely voice leaving no room for arguement, while she thought bleakly: "Though if there's ANY justice in this kriffin' galaxy, it WON'T come to that..." - shaking her head to herself, before changing the subject. "Alright... tomorrow we'll get down to the plateau for a closer look, and come up with a plan of action against Hale's base. Like I said, I've got an idea... and we'll see it it can be done when we get there. I'll tell you about it tomorrow morning, after we get some rest." - her voice back to cold and professional. Getting a pair of nods from her two companions, Kiara stored her weapons and equipment, before making her way back to her bunk, and turning in for the night.
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