Star Wars: The Sith Resurrection Part VI: Death to the Sith

[Tysyacha]

Lukas noticed the tremor, invisible to the naked heart, at the same time as his Mistress. Something--or, rather someone, his former owner, had just perished. Doja the Hutt was now a bloody pulp of half-eaten remains, or so he sensed. If his murderer were allowed to run even further amok, then...

 

"I sense a..." began Wraight.

 

"...disturbance in the Force. It is a cliche, but cliches often ring true."

 

"It's Doja the Hutt," replied the young man who had just made his first kill. "He's dead. I can't say I'm sorry about it--in fact, I'm glad; do you know how many times his Aqualish and Rodian thugs beat me?--but something tells me that far worse is going to go down in that warehouse if we don't show up."

 

"And kill whoever killed him," said Andirrul. "You're right. Move out, whelp!"

 

Soon she and Lukas arrived at the sprawling, musty warehouse palace where Doja had made his home. The iron-scent of fresh blood filled the air, making bugs swarm furiously in great heaps where the biggest pools of it lay. What could have happened? Who could have killed Doja, and for what reason save that the Hutt had been trying to cheat him or her? Surely, even for that, there would not have been this vile and visceral of a death for him. This was why Andirrul cloaked herself in the Force and sensed his killer waiting nearby.

 

Lukas was busy securing the other parts of the perimeter, hopefully putting to rest any lingering members of Doja's guard. As for the Dark Lady herself...

 

She lowered the shadows that concealed her. "Shakhmat," she hissed, igniting her two lightsabers with hilts formed from the metal of the Blade of Fourteen Slayings. "Checkmate. Why are you here, and why did you kill Doja?" To prevent any sudden attacks for which she would not be ready, Andirrul slipped into that state that was so strange and yet so familiar to her.

 

In practice, she had worked her way up to skorost', sublustrum vtoroi.

 

It would only be a matter of time to reach the third level from the second...

[Rexraptor2000]

Mech looked over the newly arrived Sith. This was not what he had been expecting as a response to Doja’s death, or at least not so quickly. He’d managed to secure his weapons and was actually rigging the place to blow when she had snuck up on them. Terror was out eating the last of the guards and Ulim was standing next to him, his own energy swords now activated.

 

“We came here to get paid and Doja was trying to get out of paying us for capturing these Sith and Jedi. Hell, he just wanted me dead because he wanted to have the head of the last Krogan.” Mech replied motioning to their unconscious forms. “So, we killed his guards. Terror was hungry and Doja was the largest thing on the menu. I think you can use your imagination for the rest kid. Now we’re going to blow this place to hell because I like to end everything with a bang.”

 

Terror now crept along the ceiling undetected, his engineered design making only visual detection the option for finding him. Ulim was still ready to fight and Mech just had his hand lightly set on his pistol.

 

“We have no quarrel with you Sith, though we have dealt with countless amounts of your kind and the Jedi.” Ulim added, though whether it was simply a statement or actually a challenge.

[Tysyacha]

"I believe it," replied the female, while the male stood stone-still in shock.

 

"My name is Andirrul," announced the Dark Lady of the Sith, "and this is my new Dark Jedi Apprentice, one Lukas Wraight. I am a single woman with two distinct natures: one is my own, that of a former weakling, young Andorra Evenstar of Avalonia. The second is the strong one, Darth Virul, Lord of the Sith. I am both she and he, and whoever is more powerful I'll leave up to you to decide. Let us depart," she said, exiting the building with Lukas and the stranger so as not to attract too much attention--not that corpses would pay it anyway...

 

Andirrul reveled in the heat from the explosion, bathing her distantly and making her hair feel hot even though she and her two compatriots were kilometers away. Doja must have had quite a complex to rule over and relieve himself in! It was a relief in and of itself to have it gone. No doubt some other crime lord, either within the Exchange or without, would take this quarter over very soon. As for the dark figures themselves, they had other matters to attend to. The Dark Lady showed the stranger her own vessel.

 

"This is the Phantasm," she announced, one step away from purring with pride. "She is not large, or heavy, or teeming with weapons, but she was not meant to be. As her name suggests, she is a ghost ship, and that is why none of those fool Jedi have been able to pinpoint our position yet. All that the Sith have learned of stealth has been incorporated into this vessel. Aboard it sits the Sith Triumvirate--myself, Lord Tyrannus, and--"

 

She blinked, forgetting the third member momentarily. She was exhausted. "If, and only if, one of the members were removed besides myself, then you would have one of the very highest places within our ranks. I prefer Lord Tyrannus' very timely death. He has nothing good to say to me or of me, thinking that perpetual insults and not the Force shall spur me to greater victories. If you were to kill him, I would crown you as One Lord of Three. Of course, such an assassination would require exquisite timing--and interest.

 

"What do you say, stranger? Shall you unlock the door to unlimited power?"

 

She smiled. "If you try slaying me instead, my speed will conquer your guile."

[Cyborg Ninja]

Kurt was confused by what the group was doing. They had changed their pitches and were rhyming their words. He wasn't sure if it was some type of jedi speech or what, curious he decided to ask. He walked up to Komad.

 

"Master Komad, what are Tonatius and Master Jun-la doing? I've never heard such odd vocal patterns before."

 

------

 

Wrath had been quiet for quite some time. He had been giving orders about Andirrul's orders and listening on the progress of the mission. This could get rather boring so he assigned someone to listen in. He followed after Andirrul and her new little jedi pet. He never let Andirrul go alone, even though she was powerful enough to take anyone who attacked her. He would give his life to her if need be. He stayed hidden in the shadows as she talked to what looked like mercs. Wrath knew they were deadly and it was why he liked him. Still they could be a threat so he waited, ready to attack if they made a move.

[Alkonium]

"Singing in Avalonian." Komad explained. Then addressing his son, he stated, "Yes, but unfortunately, our Star Destroyer's hyperdrive was destroyed, and Alriana needs serious medical attention." This posed a serious dilemma. They could go after the Sith and possibly even capture one of them, but if they did, they would leave the crew of the Enu to die.

 

Recognising the song, Kalla joined in, following Tonatius' part, but quickly transposing it in her head to better fit her vocal range.

[Rexraptor2000]

Initially Mech just listened to the Sith and come to the conclusion that she was just plain nuts. There had been no battle so he was able to activate the explosives rigged on the Hutt’s domain, causing it to erupt in a ball of flame that the alien took comfort in.

 

“Kid, are you crazy? Not only no, but hell no! Killing any one of you three would be easy. I could do it one both arms time behind my back, but telling other people what to do isn’t how I roll.” Mech replied bluntly. He’d seen enough of the Jedi and Sith to know that all of them were killed off eventually, no matter how powerful. The Krogan preferred living a couple more millennia over a position of power for a short time. He had joined private armies before, as well as fought in the CIS, and he had never been comfortable taking command over other soldiers. That was where he had met Ulim, another general of a warrior race, as well as other figures such as Dooku and Grievous, and was just as pissed as anyone who believed in the CIS when they lost.

 

“What he means is that while your target is a tempting target – as we thrive off of challenging opponents – what you are offering in return for the job isn’t worth it. We fight for credits, weapons, ships, armor, information or favors.” Ulim added, deactivating his energy swords and relaxing a bit. Terror was lying down next to Mech in a half-doze, picking its teeth with a piece of bone taken from one of its victims. Mech tapped his armored shoulder and Ulim nodded in acknowledgement. “We have interest in Ultra-Chrome. Very rare, expensive, and mainly used as starship armor, it’s completely resistant to normal blaster fire and even to lightsabers. Our friend Terror has this armor as part of his biology, and both Mech and I would like the material to forge armor for ourselves.”

 

Terror looked up from his doze at Andirrul and spoke. “Dark. Taste. Good. Food.”

 

“Oh yes, and Terror would like to eat the Dark Lord after we’ve killed him.”

[Tysyacha]

"Done," replied Andirrul, smiling again. She liked the way this triad thought. "In advance, here is a sum of two hundred thousand credits. This should cover any stealth training or materials you might need to get a preliminary bead on my worst enemy. In addition, upon completion of the assassination, you will receive a special gift--one for each of you--besides the Ultra-Chrome. Fear not. A saber in the back is not what I had in mind. Even the Sith prefer allies to corpses, even though betrayal is our one permanent law. It is not you whom I intend to betray, after all." She stepped forward and shook Mech's hand coolly. With the help of him and his comrades, victory!

 

Of course, Tyrannus probably suspected that she was plotting against him. If not, he was a fool, and if so, he was only slightly less of one. How long did he think that the Andorra side of Andirrul would prevail and humbly accede to his disparaging remarks and imperious orders? Lord Virul was in control now.

 

******************************

 

Pahro Utonula had to destroy two security droids aboard the Phantasm before someone who was actually sentient recognized her. The pawn leapt back in alarm, as if she were face-to-face with a ghost, and Pahro laughed in her face. She would have shot the underling, too, but she didn't want to make her luck run out too early. With the Dark Lady, who knew what acts that were meant to please her would actually displease her? Nevertheless, she went back to her quarters in the rear of the ship and meditated. What was her next move? She dared not risk an attack as stealthfully-bold as the radioactive grenade on Jatalra. She would have to try something different, something more akin to an atrocity a soldier would commit instead of a spy.

 

This time, she would let her Mistress decide it, but only this time. Afterward...

[JediMaster12]

"Who said I didn't care for the code?" Tyrannus asked. He stood up straight to advance towards Andirrul. "I may scoff at some of the 'rules' but it doesn't mean I don't live by it. Most important thing to remember is that the code is more what you call guidelines than actual rules." He then turned to look out at the stars. "Oh the first split was something and in their hearts the hatred of the Jedi was never forgotten. Funny thing is that hatred first started as hatred with the original Jedi, the Explorers but now anyone who calls themself a Jedi is an enemy."

 

Tyrannus reverted back to facing Andirrul. He looked at how beautiful she was even in her state and marveled at how beauty could be deadly. It was a reminder of the matriarch of his line who died with the passing of the bastard taint's grandmother. He recalled how she smiled that her enemy was finally vanquished and he didn't have the heart to tell her that the line continued. He said, "Every single Jedi, including your former lover is added to the compound hatred of the Sith. That hatred is what the creatures of the dark places of the galaxy feed on. Virul of course is a product of such a place but the source comes from where the first Explorers came from. The supposed Ancients, the guardians of the places of the Force, know the source and they guard against it. They did on Dagobah, Bespin, Byss..." He peered at Andirrul, "Not that you would know anything about this."

 

************

 

Tonatius kept singing as he took over and hoisted Alriana up til he was carrying her. He gave a slight smiled when he heard Kalla's voice take over his part. He spoke to Komad, "I suggest we make for one of the medical stations."

 

Andros, hearing that said, "The Huntau station is the closest. It is more of an outpost here in this region but well equiped. The Explorers have stretched far so we should be okay Father. We can regroup."

 

Tonatius went back to singing but in response to Kalla's part so that Jun-la could speak. She added, "We can call Matton. Our ship is nearby and if we signal, we can get a quick pick up. We can rendevous at the outpost and regroup. What say you?"

[Tysyacha]

Something deep within Andirrul, or rather within Virul, rose up suddenly--a stinging, noisome bile that was a combination of stomach acid and a tinge of blood. He--and she--would not be lectured by anyone, least of all a sniveling pretender to the throne of the Dark Lord of the Sith. He would be eliminated soon enough by the three assassins that she had recently taken into her employ with the promise of this mysterious "Ultra-Chrome", but for now...

 

"Kudu pah! Vrenka zort immayen pudu! Zhitsa ortzii luut!"

 

Andirrul slapped both hands over her mouth immediately and fled. What had she said, or more accurately, what had Lord Virul said? Were those words of the ancient Sith, or, more likely, were they the ramblings of someone who truly was insane? Whatever the case, the Dark Lady had to get herself under control again, and quickly. She could not let anyone else aboard the Phantasm see or hear her in such a state. She was strong, she was proud, she was...basking in the glow of her meditation chambers, lying prostrate in the middle of the floor. What in the Force had she said?!

[Master_Archon]

"You don't strike me as the helpful type, why did you help her?" Asked the Republic soldier aiding him with the woman.

 

"Through all of the Jedi stench I could still sense a familiar feeling about her. From what I could tell she must have been here on Jatalra at one time, like myself, and so I felt a kinship with her and decided I could not allow someone else who has experienced living on such a place fall prey to such a foul act of cowardice," Vector told him bluntly, leaving little detail out of his explanation so the man would understand, and through his understanding leave him be and not trail him like a lost kath-pup.

 

Vector stood motionless as the Jedi proceeded to transport the injured woman away to their ship and began singing.

 

They conversed amongst themselves, content to ignore him as he stood there observing them. Then they started mentioning leaving and heading to a facility somewhere. This made Vector ponder, if he were to ever have his revenge, or if he ever wanted to find another place where he could dwell peacefully and alone, especially considering that the Jedi's presence would attract unwanted attention to the planet, he would have to find a way off, and they were his only option.

 

Vector approached the Jedi who seemed most prominent in the Force ((That would be Komad)), and spoke to him levelly, "look Jedi, I seek to bring swift revenge to the one who ruined the sanctity of my home, and removed the great and evil thing that should have stayed here. So I must ask you for help in getting off of this planet, and in return I will bring the holocrons with me, since your brood seems to have some unhealthy desire to obtain them; although I do not promise any of your kind may see them, let alone even touch, or interact with them, but at least it is of some assurance that you have them within your proverbial presence, and not being looted by pirates, or worse still, the Sith, right? So, deal?"

 

Vector knew the Jedi could not resist such an offer, even if it meant entering into a deal with one so seedy. Besides, even if it weren't that tempting, the prospect of having another person with them to counter and combat the Sith was, even if that person were of a darker nature than they themselves.

[Alkonium]

"We're leaving now ourselves, and there's room on our ship. We have a deal." Komad replied, holding his hand out as a show of good faith.

 

"This is Jedi Master Reyvan Skyrider to the crew of the Star Destroyer Enu. Given our present situation, your orders are to abandon ship, and make for the Republic base on Christophsis. We will not be joining you." Reyvan sent out to the Star Destroyer.

 

Kalla blushed a little at Tonatius' smile, but continued her singing. More and more, she began to feel that if anyone could fill the void left in her heart by Andorra's loss, it was him.

[CommanderQ]

((Sorry I haven't posted in awhile...I HAVE RETURNED!))

 

"Literally on top. So what's the deal with this planet? I heard about a Jedi of some years but that's about it. What have you?"

 

Garrick reactivated the Comm to Tavaryn.

 

'Yeah, apparently we found some Jedi or other here....but what we know of the planet is the strange concentration of Force Artifacts here....we had a base here...but it was destroyed by some strange...thing. We're not entirely sure."

 

It had happened along time ago. Garrick could remember his father, the last Mand'alor, when he was reading the horrifying reports of destruction. Know one really found out how it had happened.

 

 

 

Captain Durrel began to back out of the small chamber immediatley.

 

"We need to get this thing secure..and fast. We have to get it off the planet, get it to the Jedi....they will want it."

 

He took out some elasti-tape and began to secure it, getting it into a durasteel box. Antoher technician brought in a ysalamiri, just in case.

 

Durrel changed his comm frequency.

 

"Jedi Kaltas! We have made a strange discovery you might want on the planet!! Do you have any dropships that can pick us up!! We don't know how long we have..."

 

The holocron of Nihilus didn't look threatening, but Durrel knew that any Sith object was dangerous...and they needed to get it out of there, fast.

 

 

 

Admiral Velerc was looking at the recent combat reports in one of the bridge's command trenches. His Lieutenant walked over to him.

 

"Sir, we picked up a communique coming from Republic forces! They're heading to the Christophsis system!"

 

Christophsis was only 5 parsects away, and when Velerc looked at the report, he saw that the Republic would be greatly outnumbered if they move now.

 

"Gather the fleet, we move immediatley. Interdictors at ready, also, full battle stations. Clear for battle."

 

The Lieutenant smiled and saluted moving to his duties.

 

The massive Imperial Fleet went into hyperspace 3 minutes later.

[Chevron 7 locke]

((Time to introduce my second character. The second in command of the Sith fleet after CQ's character.))

 

Grand Admiral Voran Garja knew that his ship was in trouble the moment it exited hyperspace. He could tell by the way the engines throbbed that something was wrong.

 

"Status report."

 

One of his subordinates rapidly typed in commands on her console. "Sir. It appears that we were dragged out of hyperspace by...some sort of massive gravity mass."

 

"Hmmm...And yet when I look out the viewports I see nothing but empty space. It appears that we have a puzzle on our hands. We have been pulled out of hyperspace...and yet there is nothing to pull us out."

 

He looked directly out of the open viewports. "Status reports on engines and tactical systems."

 

"Engines...will not engage. Reasons unknown. Shields and Weapons are functioning normally sir. However...Communications will not engage either."

 

Voran looked up at the celling in thought. "Begin scanning the area. This would be the perfect opportunity for an ambush. I want to know what's holding us and where it's located. Take as much time as you need to figure it out."

[Rexraptor2000]

After having made the deal with Andirrul, Mech acquired necessary information from her such as whom the target actually was, his tactics, and where the target would actually be most of the time. In this case it was Lord Tyrannus, using illusions and cunning, on the Phantasm. After that they parted ways and the freelancer trio returned to their safe house on Nar Shadda to plan. Mech sent Terror on a stealth mission to map out the Phantasm for them and get a bearing of were Tyrannus would be on the vessel in general, as well as acquire some information on Sith activities. Mech and Ulim actually thought it was kind of funny; many horror and action holovids always had scenes where people/evil creatures were using ventilation systems to sneak around vessels, and that was the exact method that Terror used most of the time. The only difference was that Terror was actually designed for that and anyone else who tried would have a hell of a time when a vent went directly upward a hundred feet. Terror also had the unique trait of being undetectable to even Jedi Masters and Sith Lords which it displayed with its lightsaber collection at the safehouse.

 

Stealth took time though - even for one good as Terror - and Mech and Ulim had to pass it somehow. So, they played chess.

 

“I understand that this game requires tactic and patience Mech. While my race generally emphasizes brute force over tactics, you have to know strategy to be a leader. That being said, I believe it to be ridiculous when it’s been a half an hour and you still haven’t made your first move!” Ulim exclaimed as he motioned to the chessboard to prove his point, where not a single piece was out of place. They both sat on small crates with a small chessboard resting on a larger crate between them. Mech was leaning over the playing board with a thoughtful look in his eyes and a hand on his chin.

 

“The game doesn’t have a time limit. Why rush a game that doesn’t have a time limit?” Mech inquired, in much the same way as he had on other occasions of playing chess with Ulim.

 

Ulim shook his head and replied “Because I don’t have as long of a life as you, and chances are I would die of old age before you made your first move.”

 

“Hey, it must be a good strategy. I’ve beaten you every time so far.” Mech chuckled and finally moved a center pawn one square forward.

 

Ulim moved a knight out and Mech responded in kind, finally setting a pace to the game. After a few moments of silence, Ulim said “I wonder how Terror is doing?”

 

“What he always does: kill, eat, sleep, sneak.” Mech responded, and then smiled evilly as he moved one last piece. “Checkmate.”

 

Ulim looked stunned for a moment, then smiled back as best a Sangheili could and asked “Another round?”

 

***

 

Terror was hungry. Of course, Terror was always hungry. He ate and he ate and he ate and it never went away. The only time his hunger was sated was when he ate the dark and light ones, the ones who called themselves Sith and Jedi. Terror didn’t care who they were or what they did. He didn’t care about whether or not it was right or wrong to eat them. He was just hungry, and he had to eat. Mech and Ulim taught him a degree of self-control though, so he could see food and not it. They taught him companionship at the least. They were his family, and he would allow himself to be hurt to make sure they were alright. Right now though they wanted him to explore the belly of the beast, find the food, and show them where it could be found. The language of noise was also to be collected, as the Sith just chattered and chattered and chattered among themselves.

 

The Sith, the food, could not see him, nor could they seemly just find him out of thin air like they could others. He was special because they were his prey and he was their predator. The hunger called Terror, but it had to suppress it. Crawling through the vents and systems of the beast, he couldn’t afford to be hungry. The prey could wait.

 

Terror had food to spy on.

[Master_Archon]

"We're leaving now ourselves, and there's room on our ship. We have a deal." The one strongest in the Force replied, accepting Vector's offer rather willingly.

 

'These Jedi are quite strange.....Not normal by any means,' Vector thought to himself, taking the Jedi's proffered hand rather pensively, cringing ever-so-slightly as he did so, seeing as even touching a Jedi set off his anger towards them. He sighed lightly, letting go of the Jedi's hand, if he wanted offworld, he would have to stomach a lot more than handshakes and strange behavior.

 

"I'll go get the holocrons, it'll only take me a few minutes," he told the Jedi, moving away and towards the ruins quickly, using the Force to retrieve his Phrik Gauntlet from the ground where he had thrown it in his fit of frustration. Vector weaved his way through the catacombs and passageways of the interior ruins, moving with ease through the dusty halls, knowing every nook, and every cranny, he made his way to the holocrons.

 

**********

Vector reappeared roughly ten minutes later, all of his personal belongings, which weren't many, had been retrieved, and he was carrying a large sack made of animal skins over his shoulder, and from the looks of it, the contents were what he had promised, the holocrons.

 

Vector re-approached the the Jedi and spoke rather defensively to him, "I have them, so let's get off of this planet before I actually decide to care about the fact that I'm leaving my once solitary home and life all because of you. And don't forget, the holocrons stay with me, you get no touching, or even looking privileges."

 

He moved towards the ship the Jedi had come in on, looking over at the diplomatic Jedi woman that had convinced him to give them the old lightsaber, he spat out in a rather disgruntled manner, "And you don't get to see them either, no matter how much you use that silver tongue of yours."

 

Vector looked towards their destination and smirked evilly as he thought on what he had said to the Jedi woman, and a dark and impish thought came to his mind.

[Alkonium]

"I'm not the one who wants them." Kalla rudely replied, then dispassionately walking away from their latest guest. Spotting her brother, she asked, "Where are we going exactly?" Thinking of what Andorra had become, she seemed to get an uneasy feeling in her stomach. Could she even bear to look Andirrul in the eye?

 

Spotting Alriana in a moment of consciousness, Komad walked over to her. "My daughter was able to retrieve your lightsaber, but as for the holocrons, it's complicated." He explained, handing Alriana's lightsaber back to her.

[Chevron 7 locke]

"My daughter was able to retrieve your lightsaber, but as for the holocrons, it's complicated."

 

"we're...not getting them are we? I've failed...I swore that I would protect all that remained of the old jedi order and I failed."

 

Alriana promptly got sick and passed out again.

[JediMaster12]

Jun-la protested , "Master Reyvan, the logical thing is to regroup and right now thw Huntau station is our only means of a friendly in this region. To not regroup would be to incite a failing on a larger picture."

 

Not to be a kill joy or a pain in a Bantha's rear but I am close enough for pick up and can transport them to the ship, Matton's voiced droned in on the comm.

 

Not far away it was Tonatius who spoke to the hermit, "Silver tongue she has not. Merely a wider range of vocabulary than some diplomats I have known." He had lowered Alriana onto a med bed and allowed Komad to do what needed to be done. He then stood by Kalla and said to her, "The time will come to face the thing you fear. Let it come to you of its own accord."

 

***********

 

"Yes. Literally. I say you have a nice view of the planet from up top," Tavaryn joked some more, "A good landing claw this bucket has. Anyway this JEdi is from the Old Republic? Perhaps she will know things belonging to a very special Jedi long dead. Any problems on the surface?"

 

*************

 

Tyrannus managed to follow the dark lady at a liesurely pace. He caught up with her and said, "I know that Virul spoke of some and he thinks of me as a pretender. Believe me my line extends far back than even he knows and along with it comes a power, an Ancient one."

 

At that moment a shadow came round the corner. Its breathing sounded raspy but it was a healthy one. The figure came, dressed in black armour that looked sharp enough to slice a man in two. The face was hidden in the shadows but the eyes glinted a demon yellow and red. Tyrannus didn't have to see the face to know who it was. It then said, "You two are like adolescent children. If you want the dark power from the realm of Miako and to take control of this galaxy, you would do better to tolerate each other's presence."

 

He then looked at the dark lady's direction, "Assassins you may have but I suggest you use them against the Jedi."

[Tysyacha]

Andirrul made a growl deep in her throat. She could not, would not, call off the deal. It did not do her or her cause any good to renege on a promise, most notably a promise made to three very powerful and very mysterious beings. The target had already been set, and what would Mech think of her if she suddenly pointed him toward one directly opposite? He would think she was weak, that's what he would think, and not worthy to be the Dark Lady.

 

Thus, she slipped into sublustrum, hoping to hit the third level quickly.

 

She sent a message to the hungry one, the beastly presence hovering in the darkness. Smell the food. Food is good. Male tastes better than I do.

 

A pause. Get the food. Devour it. There is no plate, but food is here.

 

With luck, the one called Terror would strike and kill, and then he would gorge himself on the remains of the one who had tormented her--or, more exactly, tormented Lord Virul. If Terror was slow to the feast, then she would buy him time with skorost'. She'd challenge Tyrannus to a duel.

[Alkonium]

Reyvan gave this a bit of a thought, as well as the fact that the New Empire knew where they were headed. "Matton, you have my authorisation to pick up the crew, but leave the ships on their present course." He suggested. This would allow them to divert the New Empire's attention without risking Republic lives unnecessarily.

 

"She mattered to you too. Not in the same way she mattered to me, but she did. She mattered to me then the way you do now." Kalla told Tonatius, holding his hand, and hoping he'd notice.

[Rexraptor2000]

To eat or not to eat? That was the question that plagued Terror at this very moment. On the one hand, this was very specifically a scouting mission. Could Terror wipe the floor with the Sith right now? Of course he could. He had taken down countless Jedi and Sith over the last forty years, both before and after he had met Ulim and Mech. However, when Mech specifically said a scouting mission, he meant a scouting mission. Every time he had done otherwise all hell had broken loose and his companions had to come bail him out. The food was right there! All Terror had to do was burst through the vent above the food and there would be nothing, neither force nor lightsaber nor cunning, that could stop him from consuming the food. Not only that, it was just so tempting and Terror had not been sated for a good few days thus far. The female did not help things either, and now Terror had to make a choice. To eat, be sated, and let all hell break loose? Or to not eat and wait for another day, not sated, but properly prepared enough to make the kill easily?

 

Despite the enormity of the question to Terror, he was a quick thinker and resolved it in less than a second after the female told him to feed. His answer was presented when he burst through the ventilation above Tyrannus with a blood thirsty screech, his claws and teeth going for his face while his tail tried to impale of the chest.

 

***

 

Both Mech and Ulim had grown bored of chess quickly and decided to go to the place near Phantasm where they would meet Terror, or go save Terror if all things fell apart. Well, actually Ulim had gotten bored and suggested it, since he didn’t want to spend the whole time getting beaten by Mech.

 

“So, when do you imagine the alarms will go off?” Mech asked Ulim as they waited and made sure their equipment was up to shine.

 

“Probably soon. If they don’t go off then I imagine there will still be enough chaos about the ship that we’ll notice.” Ulim replied adjusting the scope on his rifle. “Of course, there might not even be alarms or chaos at all. Maybe they’re try to make Terror a Sith Lord because he killed one of their leaders.”

 

They both looked at each other for a moment before busting out laughing.

 

“Yeah, Terror, Lord of the Sith. The only problem is that he eats all of his followers.” Mech added between laughs.

 

“‘The Jedi have boarded our vessel! What should we do?’ one of his followers asks. ‘Eat them!’ Terror says.” Ulim chuckled.

[Tysyacha]

Andirrul sprang back quickly from the fury of teeth and claws, absolutely relishing this moment. She also ignited her two lightsabers, ready to leap into the opening stance of skorost' if Tyrannus managed to escape the monster and tried to finish her. She suddenly heard a whisper from the part of her that was Lord Virul:

 

"When I possessed you, neophyte, you had pure blood. Pure enough for that one to feast upon should he wish to. However, my nature is that of a disease, a fast-acting poison. The chemistry of your blood has changed enough so that if Terror tries to eat you--and he might if he gets hungry enough--one bite of you would kill him outright."

 

The Dark Lady shivered. That's good to hear. She continued to bide her time.

[JediMaster12]

"You mistake my intentions," Tyrannus drawled, "Missing one and the tryad fails."

 

He then saw the creature and made a grab for it. He grasped the creature in his hands, fighting against its strength. He backed away as the creature thing tried to reach his face. The tail mae for his chest and with a free hand he grabbed it and begun to swing the creature round and around. It was at if he were an axis turning as he spun to gain momentum. At the last moment he flung the creature away until it hit a wall. He looked at Andirrul with slight venom in his eyes.

 

The Blood King had come out and had been amused by the spectacle. He said, "Using creatures best left to the darkness little pretty? An unwise choice but probably useful considering the vagrant that lives in you."

 

Tyrannus said nothing but was keeping his eye on the stunned creature. The Blood King wasted no time and suspended it in the air but not in the manner of a Sith or Jedi, at least none that would be recognizable. The Blood King then said, "Little pretty, there are techniques from which there are no defense, something that the twins would have taught your lover by now. Tyrannus, a sarcastic bastard he is, is right. There are things to learn if you want your goal. Besides if you kill him, then plans will be useless. This creature you have is good for nothing exception being a loyal minion."

 

**********

 

Acknowledged, Matton replied. As soon as he had said it, the ship appeared with the ramp lowered. Told ya I'd be watching.

 

Jun-la smiled slightly but turned to Komad, "What Reyvan says is not good enough. To treat this Jedi and perhaps unlock a key, we must make use of the medical facilities at the station. My ship can get us there." She knew Komad needed to think so she said, "The time will come when we find them. Right now we have a person in need of medical attention. Yes the main ship has facilities but at the station at least familiar surroundings will give more cooperation."

 

She hadn't read Alriana's mind but she had seen enough starbases and stations to know that they tended to adopt local system architecture. Huntau station was no different and since it was close to Jaltara, it may provide a sense of security for the patient. She was asking Komad to use his influence to make that case to Reyvan.

 

**********

 

Tonatius wasn't sure what to say when Kalla touched his hand. True he understood her feelings since Andorra was his cousin, someone he loved and he knew what it was like to lose someone he loved. He couldn't ignore it either since that would hurt her feelings. Yet he couldn't deny the warm feeling he received from the touch. He returned the gesture with a smile.

 

The spell could have been broken with the arrival of Matton and the ship. He moved to pick up Alriana to carry her on board. Holding her, he said to Kalla, "There is a saying that the warmth of the heart comes from the warmth of the Morning Star."

[Rexraptor2000]

((My apologies for the interruption, but did you not see my post JediMaster12? It was kind of explicit in the whole 'attacking Tyyranus with a ferocity sort of thing.' I understand if you missed it, but it's kind of annoying to have a post completely ignored.))

[JediMaster12]

((It was late when I wrote and I did missed it. However I fixed my previous post to reflect the one I missed.))