Knights of the Old Republic: Darkness Falls II - Alliances

[ForceFightWMe12]

Revan!

Voices screamed in her head, warning her that he needed help, that he needed her...

Shaking her head, she detatched herself from her feelings, falling into the cool determination of a general. Until the last possible moment...

The beast's tail flicked back as it rebounded from striking Revan. Using Force Speed, she was able to grab the end of it, using it to catapult up onto the thing's back as it swung back up. Using the momentum, she carried herself up the spine of the animal, jumping up as she reached the Drexl's wing joints.

"Bastard!" she screamed as she came down, driving the blade of her saber into the base of the thing's neck.

A peircing roar deafened her for a moment before the Drexl stumbled, wobbling from side to side as it lost its balance, the strength leaving its limbs. As it crashed down, she jumped to the wall, skidding down to the floor below.

"Revan!" she cried as she ran to where he lay slumped against the wall.

[The Doctor]

He wasn't moving. Disciple came up next to him, and began checking his injuries.

"Four broken ribs... I think one of them may have pierced his lung, but I can't be sure until we get him back to the- of course, we don't have the Hawk at the moment..."

[ForceFightWMe12]

Kira frowned, her eyes shinning with worry. Revan...

"Here, lay him on the ground." she said, taking hold of one of his shoulders as Mical took the others.

"Careful not to shift him too much..." he warned, but Kira knew full well. Placing a hand lightly on his chest, she closed her eyes, currents of the Force shooting from her fingers. Using the currents, she searched his body, binding and healing the wounds he had sustained to the best of her ability, her energy leaving her little by little with the effort.

[The Doctor]

He inhaled sharply, his breath rattling in his chest. "Kira..."

[ForceFightWMe12]

"Careful." she said, her voice hardly more than a whisper, her hand on his chest restraining him. "Don't move. You took quite a hit."

[The Doctor]

"You... Disciple... are you alright?"

[ForceFightWMe12]

"I'm fine." Mical answered, "though you should be far more worried about yourself."

[The Doctor]

"I'll..." he tried to sit up, but grimaced. "I'll be fine," he said, coughing slightly.

[ForceFightWMe12]

"Don't." she warned him again, her voice a bit sterner, "Mical thinks you've broken a few ribs. I've healed them the best I could for the moment, but you can't move just yet."

[The Doctor]

"We have to get out of here," he hissed, unable to speak properly. "We have to find the Valeyard. We'll need his help to... retake the Hawk..."

[ForceFightWMe12]

"We can't do anything with you in this condition. You'll make things worse if you try and move."

[The Doctor]

"I won't let those gang scum get away with my ship!"

[ForceFightWMe12]

"We're not going to." Kira said plaicatingly, "We're going to get it back -- but like you said, we need the Valeyard's help. We've no way to know where he is."

[The Doctor]

He wanted to argue, but couldn't. He allowed her to force him back into a lying position. "So... do we have a plan to get out of here yet?"

[ForceFightWMe12]

"We're underground," Mical said, gazing around. "If we break through the ceiling, there'll more or less be a welcoming committee with our hutt friend up there."

[RobQel-Droma]

Karda couldn't help but grinning at the absurdity of Crystal and the ship that had just spoken to her. "If this isn't the wierdest mission I have ever been on... But nevermind." He jumped into the cockpit of one of the smaller Republic fighters, powering up the shields and blaster cannons.

 

"Alright, let's go!" He spoke to the rest of the pilots who were now following him out the hangar, and grinned again when he felt the controls under his hands. Always liked doing this. He meditated for the few moments that the ship was on autopilot, then flew out to engage the pirate ship.

[The Doctor]

Revan sighed as he tried to get comfortable on his broken ribs. "Do you think he'll come get us, since we won? Or do you think we're on our own down here?"

[ForceFightWMe12]

"I hope he'll come..." Kira said, scanning the pit warrily, "Force knows what else is down here..."

[JasraLantill]

Bastila could only watch as another unconscious trainee was dragged from the Force Extractor back to their cell as Lord Vros himself went to examine his latest vial of pure, liquid Force. She had never felt so helpless. Vros had stationed his Ysalamiri carrying henchmen on either side of the row of cages, so now it was difficult for Bastila to even alleviate the growing fear among her young charges. Add to this the fact that she was fighting against the rage building up inside her, but she was doggedly determined that she was not falling to the Dark Side this time. Nevertheless, she slammed her fists in frustration against the Force Field surrounding her cage.

 

Vros raised a single bushy eyebrow, then tutted at her without looking up from his work. “Careful, Master Shan. Remember, anger leads to hate. And hate leads to the Dark Side. As a Jedi Master, you should be striving to set a good example for your students.”

 

“Why would you care if I fell to the Dark Side?” she said.

 

Vros looked up. “Two reasons. One, I’ve extracted Force from Dark Siders and although the essence of their Force is decidedly high in quality, it lacks in quantity being more difficult to extract than Force from of neutral or light persuasion. Probably due to the selfish nature of the Dark Side,” he added. “Neutrals, I’ve found, are by far the best test subjects, but they are somewhat rare these days.” He frowned with concern. “Pity that,” he added rather disappointedly. “And, reason number two, although it pains me to admit it, I still feel a certain… hmm, how should I put this… ‘nostalgic affection’ for the Jedi.”

 

“Still?” Bastila’s eyes narrowed. “You were once a Jedi?”

 

Lord Vros didn’t answer her right away, rather continued to examine a sample of his latest vial under a microscope. “Ah. Much better than the previous batch. Much better. We’re definitely making progress,” he said to one of his henchmen nearby. Vros capped his vial and then handed it to the henchman.

 

“I was a Jedi Reseacher, actually,” Vros finally said to her as he walked over to a computer terminal. “And a good one, too, if I may be so bold to say so. But that was long ago, before even your master’s master was barely a twinkle in his parents’ eyes.” He began to enter data into the computer.

 

Bastila frowned slightly. “I certainly don’t recall any Jedi called Vros mentioned in the Jedi Archives.”

 

Vros smiled reminiscently. “Ah, yes. Before the Cataclysm…. I went by a different name then.”

 

“Cataclysm?”

 

Again, he didn’t answer her immediately. Instead, he methodically saved some information on a datapad, then handed it over to the henchman holding the vial. “Take these to my chamber,” he ordered. “The Vultar Cataclysm, Master Shan,” he finally addressed Bastila. “Am I to believe that your Masters neglected to educate you about such an important historical event?”

 

“But… that happened over three centuries ago,” Bastila said slowly. She frowned. Sure Vros had grey hair, but he only looked slightly over middle age.

 

“Hmm…has it been that long? Amazing how quickly time passes when one is so engrossed in their work.”

 

The door to the lab opened, and another henchman dressed from head to toe in black entered. He stood silently at the doorway until Lord Vros acknowledged his presence, then he moved forward and handed Vros a small datapad.

 

Lord Vros looked at it, then said, “Ah, the Valeyard has arrived. Good. Inform him I’ll join him directly.” The henchman bowed his head, turned, then left.

 

“Why are you doing this?” Bastila asked, hoping to keep the conversation going so she could find out more about her captor, possibly even a weakness. “You were a Jedi. Even if you’ve succumbed to the Dark Side, it’s still possible for you to redeem yourself. Come back to the Light.”

 

He grinned evilly. “And abandon my work?” He shook his head. “No. That is hardly an option, Master Shan. Now, if you will excuse me, I have a visitor to attend to.”

 

Vros exited the room, but leaving the lights on and his Ysalamiri henchmen in place.

 

“M-master Shan?” a trainee asked in a tiny voice of despair. “What going to happen to us?”

 

Bastila sighed. “I don’t know.” She managed to muster a grin, even though she was beginning to feel despaired herself. “But for now, try not to worry. Someone will come for us. You’ll see.”

 

I hope. Bastila thought to herself.

[The Doctor]

Vros stepped into the antechamber, greeted by the site of the Valeyard standing by the TARDIS, his arms folded and brow furrowed.

"We have a problem," he said shortly.

"Oh?"

"Vogga the Hutt is dead. Murdered, by my estimation."

Vros smiled darkly, turning to pace the room. "Yes. I know."

The Valeyard arched an eyebrow. "You do?"

"Indeed. I have made a much more profitable arrangment with Vogga's cousin, Sorba. He most likely believed it was easier to remove Vogga entirely than to attempt to hide his new business venture."

"Indeed," responded the Valeyard. "You do not seem to realise that this makes my task much more... difficult."

"How so?"

"The Exile is extremely difficult to maipulate - as is her companion, Revan. With Vogga removed, it will be more difficult to lead her here."

"I have every faith in your manipulative abilities, dear Valeyard," he said. "I'm sure you'll think of something."

"Indeed," muttered the Valeyard again. "And what of your end of the bargain?" he continued. "What of the Doctor?"

"You will have him."

"Allow me to rephrase," he hissed. "What have you learned of his whereabouts? How soon will you have him?"

Vros simply smiled. "Soon, my friend," he said, putting a hand on the Valeyard's shoulder and guiding him back to the TARDIS. "For now, however, I suggest you get take your marvelous machine back to Nar Shaddaa and continue your task. By the time you have returned with Her, I will have the Doctor here."

"See that you do."

With that he broke free of Vros' grasp, entered the TARDIS, and dematerialised.

[RobQel-Droma]

Karda led the pilots out the the Dreadless' hangar against the enemy ship, watching his scanner for any fighters the pirates might send against them. Soon enough, he had spotted them undocking from the ship and exiting the hangar, rushing out to defend the ship. Tylor, meanwhile, was keeping up a steady barrage of firepower toward the cruiser.

 

"Delta leader, break off and come up under the wave, try to flank the ship; bring your wingman and another with you." Karda pushed his engines to accelerate faster.

 

"Roger, sir," Karda saw the three go spiraling down out of the corner of his eye.

 

"Crystal, or, er- Crystal's ship..." he trailed off. "Are you trailing behind?"

[Writer]

"Right behind you," Crystal answered. But her ship saw fit to correct her.

 

"Not right behind you," it said. "That wouldn't leave any room for the unexpected. And call me Eagle, by the way. Crys does."

[ForceFightWMe12]

"Are you alright?" Kira asked quietly, watching his expression carefully, "You're not in too much pain?"

[The Doctor]

"I'm fine," he said. "Let's fig-"

He wa cut of by a methodic grinding sound. The TARDIS materialised a few metres away, and Revan sighed with relieve. The Valeyard would be able to repair his injuries - or at the very least, give him something for the pain.

The Valeyard stepped out, a sigusted look falling across his face. He wrinkled his nose, glaring down at them. "What are you all doing in such a retched place? It reaks of decaying flesh."

[ForceFightWMe12]

"Well, it's not really our fault that you ditched us here," Kira said venomously, "Right into the waiting arms of a Hutt crimelord, who dropped us down here."