Star Wars: The Sith Resurrection Part VII: A Glimmer of Hope

[Alkonium]

"Republic Operative Iyav Dourden and Jedi Master Komad Kaltas. That's just my official title, though. In some ways, 'Contracted Freelancer' might be more accurate. I've got a lot more freedom than a typical agent, I've got no uniform, and that's our own personal ship." Iyav explained. "And we've got air filters built into our hazmat suits anyway. Now we need to determine the nature of this infection. So far, all we know is how horrifying the effects are."

 

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

 

"I have no objections, what matters is that Andorra trusts you." Reyvan explained. "And Andorra, if there's ever anything you need, just let us know.

 

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

 

"You're telling me. I don't even know why they're so interested in her." Kalla replied, putting the blindfold on and trying to stand back to back with Tonatius. I thought we were just practicing, this wasn't a lesson She thought.

[JediMaster12]

"Life is a lesson," Jun-la replied as she continued to set the standings. "This lesson is about team work. The ability to fight as a pair or team with your partners. You have to be able to help cover each other's weaknesses while taking down an enemy."

 

Jun-la smiled as she watched the pair thinking about her own pilot who was busy with a freight job. She knew what existed between them and went to great lengths to keep them together. Which was why she volunteering to be a training master. "Training droids and remotes." She hit the last command and training droids came to life followed by the remotes." It seemed unfair to give them so much to do but they had fought in battles before and they needed to develop their other senses.

[Cyborg Ninja]

Kurt checked his HUD and looked around the hallway to make sure none of the infected were there. He looked over to Atora and nodded at him.

 

"Well we successfully drove off the New Empire from Geonosis. We were to return back home when...well all of this happened. It started out with one of the corporals acting strange. He was sweating a lot and was quick to get angry. Suddenly he lashed out at a private and bit her neck. We locked him up and made sure the private was taken to the med bay where in due time she bit the entire medical staff. After a few hours nearly half the ship was infected. They're quite intelligent though for whatever is causing them to act this way. They disabled most of our systems, stranded us, and made sure we couldn't get to the armory, like they knew. I've gathered whatever survivors are left and put them in the cargo hold where we've been holding off. Keep in mind these things are fast and quite agile, I had a few jump on my back. The took out the lights and have no problem finding us so they either can see in the dark or rely on smelling and or hearing, I'm not quite sure."

 

Kurt looked down at his rifle which was covered in blood stains from all the killing he had done. He had to kill them thought otherwise everyone on this ship would have been infected by now.

 

"My HUD picked up three additional allies, are they with you? Oh and in case you're wondering no I haven't been bit. My armor is too strong to be penetrated by their jaws and I've killed them before they've had the chance too."

[Chevron 7 locke]

"Hang tight for a moment. I'm gonna check something out. It won't take long."

 

"Got it." She said quickly before the comm was cut off on Tavaryn's end. She began thinking of what Tavaryn could do against possible opposition that came to a conclusion.

 

I should at least keep an eye on him. If only to make sure that he's safe. But he did tell me to stay here...

 

 

Cygnus

 

"My HUD picked up three additional allies, are they with you? Oh and in case you're wondering no I haven't been bit. My armor is too strong to be penetrated by their jaws and I've killed them before they've had the chance too."

 

Atora hefted his assault rifle over his shoulder and looked around again to make sure they were still in the clear before responding.

 

"I'm sorry. But I only recently managed to fight my way to the end of the ship. What you said does clear up some of the mystery, like how most of the ship was infected, but other mysteries now remain. As for these "Allies" no, I have no knowledge of them. Perhaps we should make our way toward them before they encounter any of the infected."

 

He began walking toward the other blue lights on his HUD, anxious to warn the others of the threat that was posed by the infected.

[Tysyacha]

"Actually," replied Andorra, "there is something you could both do for me. Now that I'm out of the medical facility, I have no idea where to go or what to do next. I want to help the Republic and the Jedi out in some way, but how? I suppose I could go back to Avalon and see my mother, but I really don't want to do that. I have a funny feeling that you might need me here on Coruscant."

[Shana]

Lenatha had bought a small corellian pastrie as a gift for Andorra since she had finally been discharged from the hospital. She made her way through the halls of the psych ward which gave her the chills. She stopped for a moment before and office hall. She could see there was a doctor standing infront of the main desk signing some electronic pads. He looked up and waved at Lenatha who simply just nodded in his direction but he walked over to her.

 

"Doctor Pradhes, nice to see you again", the Doctor said. He was an old doctor, in his late sixties, slim and with a large mustache.

 

"Hello Doctor Naville", Lenatha said a bit uneasily.

 

"I had hoped you had decided to join our group again since it's been a really long time since we've seen you last", Doctor Naville said.

 

"Well I have been kinda busy, too many patients to see, so little time to devote to myself. Besides I feel better now, for the past few months I have been rather good", Lenatha said.

 

"Well I do notice you're more at calm with yourself. What about the dreams?", Doctor Naville asked.

 

"They're not frequent now, not so much as before, they rarely come", Lenatha said and the doctor smiled.

 

"Well that's good to hear, the door is always opened to you if you wish to talk", Doctor Naville said and Lenatha simply gave him a small smile and a nod, he then went on his way patting her in her shoulder. Lenatha simply sighed. She always had goosebumps when going inside the psych ward but she had to do it for Andorra since she was trying so hard.

 

As she reached the psych ward she was told that Andorra had already left not too long ago so she made her way to the entrance of the hospital, she noticed there were others with Andorra, the one she had met before on her hospital room, Wrath and another that she did not recognize. She walked over to them with the small pastry in a small box in her hands.

 

"Am I interrupting anything?", Lenatha asked.

[Alkonium]

(They weren't in the psych ward, they were outside at the entrance to the medical facility)

 

"Not at all, we were simply discussing what Andorra might wish to do now that she has been discharged." Reyvan explained. "She would like remain here on Coruscant, and continue to help the Jedi and the Republic. On that topic, Andorra, with your kind permission, the Jedi Order would like access to your medical records since admission to this facility. Given what happened to you, I'm sure you understand our interest."

 

 

 

Hearing the remotes activate, Kalla increased the setting on her lightsaber, ensuring that she would be able to both deflect their blaster bolts and cut them down. To be honest, the idea of fighting remotes blindfolded sounded fun, or at least more so than fighting blindfolded in an actual battle. "Ready?" She asked Tonatius, still unsure what weapon he was wielding now.

 

 

 

As the group made their way through the derelict ship, lit by Komad's lightsabers, Komad had an unnerving realisation, making matters even worse. "I'm don't think this was a naturally occurring virus." He commented. "What do you mean?" Iyav asked, unsure how Komad reached that conclusion so quickly. "Think about how strong the average person's immune system has to be in order to not simply get sick and die the moment they step onto the surface of another planet. If something like this infection was natural, we'd have overcome it millennia ago." Komad explained. "The only other explanation is that this thing was genetically engineered, which means that the infection must be some sort of bio-weapon." Iyav surmised.

[Cyborg Ninja]

Kurt nodded to Atora before following him. His HUD showed him the ally dots were beginning to move. He guessed these three others had come to check up on Atora as the man had been here a day. Kurt was glad he bumped into Atora first, as the man had survived here an entire day. Kurt made sure to sweep each area as they moved and always checked behind him whenever he got the chance. He needed to make sure all four of these allies were unharmed by the infected as they were the survivors only chance at rescue.

 

Wrath remained silent and listened to Reyvan and Andorra talk. He looked over to see Dr. Lenatha and nodded to her. She had done everything in her power to keep Andorra alive which meant she was alright in his eyes. With not much to contribute he saw no reason to speak.

[Tysyacha]

Andorra was absolutely delighted to see Doctor Pradhes, who had brought a delicious pastry to her as a recovery gift. Gingerly, she took the delicacy from the Twi'lek's scarlet hand and sunk her teeth into its luscious dough. Moaning with the delight of tasting far finer food than she'd ever had in the medical facility, she winked at Lenatha. "Thank you, Doctor!" she cried. "This is absolutely the best thing I've eaten in months, and it's so kind of you to see me off. Actually..." She let her words fade into silence. "Could you please do me a favor and retrieve my medical records from the facility archives? We'll wait here. Normally, I would be calling this an invasion of my privacy, but this is not a normal situation. The Jedi and Republic have a right to know how much progress I've made--or not--since I came out of my coma." Smiling, she continued, "Besides, this will help me get rid of my shame about being kept in the psychiatric wing of this hospital while I recovered. I never thought I'd be...crazy..." Andorra sighed. "Thank you for everything you've done for me."

[Shana]

Lenatha smiled brightly as Andorra thanked her for the small gift. She had known that while the service in the hospital was top notch, the food was the exact opposite, although very nutritious.

 

"Could you please do me a favor and retrieve my medical records from the facility archives? We'll wait here. Normally, I would be calling this an invasion of my privacy, but this is not a normal situation. The Jedi and Republic have a right to know how much progress I've made--or not--since I came out of my coma." Smiling, she continued, "Besides, this will help me get rid of my shame about being kept in the psychiatric wing of this hospital while I recovered. I never thought I'd be...crazy..." Andorra sighed. "Thank you for everything you've done for me."

 

Lenatha shook her head.

 

"You weren't crazy, it was only a precaution, you did have an uninvited guest invading your mind. The psychiatrists only wanted to assess how much damage Virul had made. Thankfully, it wasn't much because as I said before, you're very strong", Lenatha said and turned around to the entrance. "As your attending physician it won't be a problem for me to get your files so I will be back shortly".

 

Lenatha then walked into the hospital wing banishing from their sight.

[JediMaster12]

Tonatius nodded out of habit and said, "Ready." He pulled out the sword he always carried on his person. It made a distinctive clang as it was released from its sheath.

 

Jun-la watched intently as Tonatius positioned himself. She figured he would have had some training with a blindfold. Any who are accepted into the ranks of the Bushida warriors must have some training in it as well as able to perform several mandatory skill sets. There have been few exceptions but that was the general way.

 

She watched as the remotes and the droids moved into position. The remotes would fire blaster shots and the droids would have either a training saber or a blade.

 

Tonatius cocked his ear and he could distinctly hear the whirring of remotes. Instinctively he adjusted so his elbow gently grazed the back of Kalla. The first droid fired. With spring in his step, he leaped out of the way of the blaster shot and came down in front of a training droid. He heard the pop hiss of a lightsaber and back jumped, tapping Kalla again to let her know that he was there. "Seems like we have a challenge," he muttered to her.

[Alkonium]

"Should be fun." Kalla replied, trying to rely on her hearing to spot the remotes. She heard a blaster shot in front of her, and managed to deflect it, but didn't her the explosion that would have come with hitting the remote that fired it. It must have hit the wall or something She thought.

 

"Here's something: ship to ship communications panel." Iyav pointed out after gunning down another zombie. Komad approached it and set it to transmit shipwide. "This is Jedi Master Komad Kaltas. Any surviving crewmembers of the Star Destroyer Cygnus please respond." He said into it before switching it off. "As far as those things can tell, my message could have come from anywhere on the ship. We're no less safe than we already were."

[JediMaster12]

"Use your senses yes but also learn your partner's weaknesses and strengths," Jun-la prompted.

 

Tonatius said nothing but lowered his head to listen. He could tell from the slight bumps Kalla was giving him that she needed more practice learning to see without her eyes. He heard the remote position itself before it fired. He was able to prod Kalla to dodge it and brought his sword up to block a blow from a droid wielding a lightsaber. It was tempting to charge on his own but he wasn't going to leave is partner. He said, "Anything I should know about your technique?"

[Tysyacha]

Once within the confines of the medical facility's archives, Lenatha read this:

 

NAME: Andorra Evenstar

GENDER: Female

RACE/SPECIES: Avalonian

AGE: 21

DIAGNOSIS: Psychosis accompanied by hallucinations and delusions

PRIMARY COUNSELOR/PSYCHIATRIST: Counselor Ewan Didac

 

CASE HISTORY: Ms. Evenstar was brought comatose to the Kenobi Medical Facility by her escorts and relatives. She lay in such a state for two months under the supervised care of Doctor Lenatha Pradhes, a highly-respected employee of this facility. Once she awoke, the patient described having been "possessed" by a mythical entity she calls "Lord Virul"; this is obviously a delusion on her part, being unwilling to take full responsibility for her own actions as the flesh-and-blood Dark Lady of the Sith. This "Lord Virul" is a perfect scapegoat, if an imaginary one. The patient's projection of her misdeeds onto "him" is not surprising. However, that does not mean it is not disturbing. Ms. Evenstar must be willing to relinquish "Lord Virul" as the cause of her past suffering and present illness. If she does not, she will not recover. Children immerse themselves in fantasies in order to escape the world; but in time, the patient will discover that reality must be faced. Logdate X-X.

[Alkonium]

"Primarily defensive, good against blasters and multiple opponents. In melee combat, the trick is to trap opponents in their own attacks, as well as tiring them out, which doesn't help much against droids." Kalla explained, deflecting another blaster bolt, this time managing to take out the remote. "I suggest you deal with the lightsaber droid, if it's just one, and I work the remotes."

[Shana]

As Lenatha finished reading the report she scoffed.

 

"The nerve", she said mostly to herself. "Blasted psychiatrists".

 

She put the file away and was ambushed by Doctor Naville again.

 

"Digging the old archives I presume", Doctor Naville said with a smile, but Lenatha knew it was just a cover. No psychiatrist was that nice, at least none she knew.

 

"Yeah just reading on the patients", Lenatha said but Naville peeked over her data pad and noticed whose was the file.

 

"Ah yes, Miss Evenstar. Quite a lost case that one, delusional, poor girl, so young and all", Doctor Naville said and this completely pissed Lenatha off.

 

"You don't know what the hell you're talking about, what happened to Andorra was real, all her companions confirm it. You want to go ahead and do some outrageous allegation that it's a collective delusion then go ahead, but how you people can call yourselves Doctors is beyond me. All you do is pretend to listen, pretend to care while passing judgment on others. Who the hell do you think you are to decide who's sane and who's not?", Lenatha said as the Doctor listened to her very intently with a serious face. Lenatha simply sighed and looked away. "I don't know why I even bother".

 

Lenatha just walked away, Doctor Naville simply grinned to himself and stayed. She then made her way back to the entrance hall. She was clearly upset but tried to hide it as best as she could. Being a doctor after all, she had to be able to suppress her emotions while on the job and she was fairly good at it. She arrived where Andorra and the others were but she couldn't bring herself to say what was on the file. She didn't know how Andorra would take it but she was obligated to tell her. She simply limited herself to say, "I have your file here".

[Ping]

Kerlos turned to Iyav and Komad.

 

"You know, some of the ship might not have heard our transmission, since it seems power has been lost in most, if not all of the ship. I know it's going to be dangerous, but I say one or two of us goes ahead to search for survivors, and another one of us can stay here to keep in contact with anyone who responds."

 

Kerlos knew that what he was proposing didn't sound like an attractive idea, but he felt that it was the only way to make progress. "Besides, we might learn what's causing this bio-weapon thing along the way."

[Tysyacha]

Andorra, while perusing the datapad that Lenatha handed to her, looked as if she were on the verge of crying. However, being the adopted daughter of the governor of Avalon, she was also trying to be "dignified" and not let raw emotions get the better of her. Delusion? Projection? Excuse?! She could not have been more insulted had Counselor Didac and the other doctors slapped her in the face. This indignity was worse, because it would take far longer for the scars to heal in this circumstance. Not only did the professionals at the medical facility consider her a "lost cause", but they also believed her recent troubles to be caused by none other than a figment of her own unstable imagination! She wanted to crush the delicate piece of electronic equipment within her fist right then, but she held herself back.

 

"Here," she said tersely, practically shoving the datapad into Reyvan's hand. "Here's what the good doctors have to say, if it's of any use..."

[Shana]

Lenatha could tell by how Andorra was acting, that she was upset by what was stated in the datapad. She was deciding whether or not to attempt to cheer her up, but she decided to do it anyway because if she was in the same position as Andorra, and she had been, she would want someone to be on her side.

 

"Andorra, it may not mean much but all Doctors make mistakes, I know I didn't experience first hand what happened but I believe every word you said about Virul. And all your friends know this to be a fact. So screw them, psychiatrists are the worse kind of people and lawyers maybe", Lenatha said and put a hand gently on her shoulder. "I guess the important thing is, we all believe you, we know it's true, whether we saw it or not".

 

Everytime Lenatha would speak the word psychiatrist her hatred for them carried on her voice.

[Alkonium]

"Good idea. However, if our encounters so far are any indication, most of the survivors are likely holed up in that cargo hold. On our way in, we scanned the ship, and found a rather large cluster of life signs in one of the cargo holds." Komad explained.

 

"On top of that, dear, we also need to download the ship's logs from the auxiliary control centre. I think we should split into three then: one goes looking for survivors, one downloads the logs, and one waits for a response from anyone else, and makes sure we can get out alive. I'll get the logs, you find survivors?" Iyav suggested.

 

"Sounds good." Komad replied, waiting for input from Kerlos.

[Ping]

"Sounds like a plan," Kerlos responded. "So, I guess that means I'll wait here and listen for any response, and that also means I'll have to have to make a clear path to the hangar." Kerlos thought for a minute, and then asked a question. "I know this next question is going to make me look like an idiot, but how do you suggest we keep a clear path to the hangar, besides barricading and jamming the doors in the hallways? I'm not aware of anything laying around that could hinder these things at the moment."

[Alkonium]

"You might be able to reactivate the autoturrets. You could also try to manipulate the blast doors." Iyav suggested. "If nothing else, you must have grenades or something on your ship."

 

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

 

Reyvan noticed the loathing emphasis in Lenatha's voice on the word 'psychiatrist'. "You've had a similar experience with them, haven't you?" He asked.

[Master_Archon]

"What is your title?"

 

"I am Vec--Aaahh!...I am a bishop."

 

Hm....yes...What are you?"

 

"I am a 'Nex Sicarious', assassin of the 'Nex Orbis'."

 

"Yes. What is your purpose?"

 

"To bring 'Nex', through the 'Orbis'."

 

"Yes, bishop. Now for the hardest question of all. Who are you?"

 

The voice was dark, the voice brought pain, the voice caused fear to crawl up one's spine, for Vector, it did nothing at all. Tormented by physical fear, and emotional pain, mentally warped, his mind convulsed at giving the answer that they had, for so long, tortured, and tormented him, to receive. He had held on so long, resisted, and in the end, failed; he gave in, he replied:

 

"I am brother, I am a servant. I am a 'Nex Venator'."

 

"Yes! Very good, bishop. Your reintegration is complete, welcome back, bishop. Now for your task."

 

Vector stood, head cast down, body slouched, hands loose by his side, a slave in his own mind. His mind raced, his mind slowed, his thoughts processed, he felt recognition in the words, in the word: task. Task; fault, who's fault? The 'Venators'? Yes! No. An obligation, their purpose. To blame; yes, a fault; no. The Sith! No. Maybe. One of them, once, teachers of hate. Always to blame, not their fault. The Jedi! One word goes through his mind: 'Vengeance!' His fists clenched as he thought on that word, and those at fault; his ears were open to his task at hand.

 

"You must kill Komad Kaltas, and his allies, bishop."

 

His head lifted when he heard the name. The ones who'd forced him from his home, his usurpers, the Jedi. Was this how he'd get revenge?....If obedience to his key-holders brings him closer to his end, then why fight the means. Vector's body straightened, his whole demeanor, changed, his mind slowly returned to racing.

 

"Good."

 

"Yes, bishop. Good to see you agree. As our philosophy says: Order..."

 

"...Through entropy."

 

"Yes!"

******

Coruscant: Jedi Temple

 

Vector walked through the beautiful marbled halls of the Jedi Temple, unhindered, and unquestioned. He had his arms folded into the sleeves of brown robes, and his head covered in the shadows of a hood. Vector had taken a Jedi's robes, the former wearer of the robes now dead in a trash disposal unit. The robes had been wrapped in a manner that allowed his figure underneath to remain hidden, so as he walked he received no hassle from the unguarded Jedi, who'd grown complacent as they'd thought themselves safe in this refuge, deep within their territory. How sad they would be to find how easily Vector had infiltrated their ranks, the Knight who's robes he'd taken were a testament, as he'd had no problem luring the unwitting man to his quick end. How much easier could they fall if the 'Nex Venators' wanted to destroy them?

 

Vector moved purposefully towards the training room where his first target lay. Komad's heart, one of his line, his child, Kalla.

 

Recently Knighted, and barely coming out of her teenage years, and a heavy practitioner of the perfectly balanced Form Vl: Niman, she would be a target he felt would be perfect for setting Komad off balance for future conflict, and ultimate assassination. Vector knew these things, as any assassin should; he did his homework.

 

Vector paused as he reached the door to the room, feeling others within he stopped, measuring up what he felt. His racing mind processed what he'd studied on Komad, and his allies. Kalla could just be training with some other Jedi, but from what he felt from within he doubted it.

 

Vector entered, keeping his head low, he nodded as he entered, and moved off to the side. They were training blindfolded, one was Kalla, the silver-tongued young girl from months back, and the philosophical by-speaker, Tonatious. The third was another of those, Avalonians, and was, from his knowledge, Jun-la. All allies of Komad's, all people he had to kill. One against three, one of those three far more skilled than the two ((right now I'm assuming that, don't have time to study up)), a match he didn't see himself walking away from, at least without losing a limb. He needed to nullify Jun-la, put the woman out of the fight, before it even starts.

 

He'd use his abilities as a half-Umbaran to persuade, and influence her to leave. Even if he just got her out of the door, that would be enough, as he could close, and lock it, giving him time to kill Kalla, and her philosophical friend.

 

"Excuse me ma'am, you're needed outside. One of the Masters wishes to speak with you," he said to the Avalonian, his voice sounding no different than any other human's, actually sounding rather handsome. A trait he acquired when he became a 'Nex Sicarious'.

 

((Well, I finally posted Alkonium, but I didn't expect to have to attempt Kalla's assassination with two others around! But I don't mind, I compensated by trying my best to move one of those two out of the picture, without character control, so let's hope it works, so that Vector's assassination attempt may commence! ))

[JediMaster12]

Tonatius listened. He could hear multiple droids and remotes. Looks like this is going to be a challenge. He said, "Multiple bogeys," and paused, "One sounds like it has a tick in its actuator." He adjusted his position to listen some more. The droids were programmed to attack like humanoids but they could attack at random and at strange angles.

 

Listening to the hums and swishes of the blades, he could make out a pattern but he had to test that theory. As he deflected a lightsaber blow, he concluded that the droids have a tendency to make a sweeping lope before striking but the number of droids differed. After a while he thought he detected the numerical sequence. He said, "Kalla I have a feeling that two droids will strike at once. I need you to cover my back."

 

**********

 

Tavaryn jumped down from his post to have a closer look. The target apparently was in the middle of a loading job but he didn't seem to notice anything out of the ordinary. Scanning every shadow, it was a mere five seconds before he spotted something stealthly moving towarsd the boy. Tavaryn reached for his comm, "Alriana, I need you to contact the nearest Republic retrieval. Better yet call Komad. Then join me at the docks. Things are going to get dicey soon."

 

Peering through the rain, he knew it would take time to get all the way down but he'll have to move as fast as he could. Taking a breath, he lept off his post and began jumping down.

[Chevron 7 locke]

"Alriana, I need you to contact the nearest Republic retrieval. Better yet call Komad. Then join me at the docks. Things are going to get dicey soon."

 

Alriana nodded and then opened a commlink channel to Komad's comm. It should reach him even though the last she had heard he had been invistigating the disappearence of a ship in the outer rim.

 

She began recording a message on his commlink so that he could check the message when he had time.

 

"Komad...this is Alriana on Nar Shadda. I don't mean to bother you but according to Tavaryn the situation here is going to get dicey."

 

Alriana then terminated the comm and then turned and then began running toward the docks, using the force to increase her running speed.

 

 

 

 

"This is Jedi Master Komad Kaltas. Any surviving crewmembers of the Star Destroyer Cygnus please respond."

 

Atora looked up at one of the speakers before turning back to Kurt. His helmeted head gave away no expression. His HUD began flashing as it pinpointed three more possible friendlies around forty meters ahead.

 

"My HUD is picking up at least three more possible friendlies ahead. Unfortunatly there are several hostiles approaching our position from behind."