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

[JediMaster12]

"You wish me to accompany them both Master Skywalker?" Jun-la asked regarding Kalla and Tonatius. She knew rightly that Tonatius would follow Kalla. There was still some doubts about the nature of their relationship so she felt it necessary to have an understanding party member go. "It is quite ajump from here to Genosis and the time could be spent training."

 

**********

 

Haruka smiled, "I'll say one thing for you Shinigami, she isn't stupid. So you are here to play errand boy. Well I can't say that I'll join you. Got a job to do so farewell." He turned to head back to his ship.

 

Tavaryn stood there saying nothing, allowing the rain to drip of the edge of his hat. He could sense that Alriana had a question and softly said, "Ask your question."

[Shana]

Lenatha had light sleep, she could be woken by the tiniest sound. This was something that she developed when she was a slave girl and it came really in handy whenever she had an emergency in the hospital. And also that helped her escape the visions of her past which seemed to pull her into a heavy state of unconsciousness just to torment her with the images of 'that day'. She could hear sound a very faint sound and she figured it would be Andorra but she was debating with herself whether or not she should check up on her. But she finally decided to just take a look and see if she was alright, she was her doctor anyway.

 

As she put a small robe on, she walked over to the door and found Andorra sitting before a terminal.

 

"Had a bad dream?", Lenatha asked her giving her a smile.

[Alkonium]

"Then let's get moving." Komad replied, leading the twenty survivors out of the cargo hold. "We can still outrun these monsters, and if we can make it to the armoury on the way to the hangar, this should get a lot easier. Kurt, Atora, I'll need you to cover them from behind, while I protect them from the front."

 

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

 

"Very well, I trust them to keep their mind on the mission and not each other, but your assistance would still be greatly appreciated." Kol replied once Kalla had left. "Does the name Vector S'borr mean anything to you?"

[Master_Archon]

((If you'd prefer not being attacked right now Alkonium, then tell me, and I'll edit accordingly. ))

 

"Does the name Vector S'borr mean anything to you?"

 

'Meaning? Name....Vect,' were the only thoughts that came to Vector's mind as he listened in on the conversation occurring between Kol Skywalker, and Lady Jun-la.

 

"Hng!" He restrained his cry of shock and pain as the neural nodes suddenly activated along the vertical length of his skull, causing untold waves of mental torment to blast into his mind; his grunt going quietly unheard from his high perch inside a ventilation shaft, looking out from a well concealing grate. The 'Nex Venators' kept tight leashes on their pets, and Vector was no exception. One straying thought from his reintegration mindset and he was forced right back into it.

 

'No meaning, I am a bishop,' his thoughts almost pieced themselves together with robotic autonomy as the nodes subsided their burst of subjecting pain.

 

Vector quickly studied the situation and realized a very important thing, Kalla was gone, and Jun-la was here. They were separate, and although Vector knew Tonatious would be with Kalla, somehow, he also knew his own skill in assassination, and combat in general, would give him a sharp edge. Now was his chance.

 

Vector moved with cat-like grace through the ventilation shafts avoiding any security measures with patience, skill, and experience, as he moved to catch up with the now alone Kalla.

 

He found her, not too far from the room Kol and Jun-la were talking in, a minor problem, but only that, minor.

 

Vector pulled out his modified DC19 "Stealth" carbine, and although with the weapon's capabilities he could easily kill her in one shot, he knew it wouldn't be that easy, and decided to use it in a different manner. Using the small scope on the carbine, he aimed at the door control panel that lead to the room where Kol and Jun-la were talking, and with careful differentiation, he sent a small flicker through the Force, locking the door from the outside, and with steady aim he shot the control panel, thus jamming the door. His carbine was sound suppressed, but the bursting control panel wasn't, it was sure to alert Kalla, although the ones inside would probably be unaware of what was going on outside, at least, until they felt Kalla's life ebb away.

 

With the threat beyond the doors safely tucked away Vector acted swiftly, putting his carbine away he pulled out his lightsaber, activating it and quickly cutting an opening in the grate he had shot the control panel from, erupting from the small opening in the wall in a flash of dull crimson and Jedi robes, he charged Kalla's back, closing the distance between them with amazingly light footed speed.

 

He brought his lightsaber forward in a simple, but powerful thrust forward towards her back.

[JediMaster12]

"I can't say that I have heard of the name Master Skywalker," Jun-la replied, "Though new and unfamiliar species seem to have been the norm these past few years, haven't they?"

 

When the door closed, Jun-la snapped her head at the sound and strode to the door. She didn't need the control panel to tell her that the door had been shot. She then said, "I believe our intruder has revealed himself and he used one of our own to get here."

 

While they were speaking, Tonatius had been running around the temple near the hidden ceiling crevices. Having spent his youth climbing trees with his brother, he was a natural at it though they were both better at swimming, a gift from their mother's people. He kept Kalla in sight, part of a plan they had developed when they suspected enemies were near.

 

He was patient even when the door was shot to a close. He could sense that Lady Jun-la and Master Skywalker were on the other side, perplexed yet determined to get through. He waited until he saw movement and he made his move. His flash step had improved in recent months and he was there to counter the strike at Kalla, gripping his blade in an iron grip as it allowed the force of the blow to ripple down his arms. He shoved off his attacker and said, "For an assassin you have no manners."

[Tysyacha]

"You could say that," replied Andorra, her hair still looking a bit dishevelled and the undersides of her eyes rather puffy. "I would prefer 'awful nightmare', but to each his own." She smiled ruefully and explained her dream to Lenatha.

 

"The thing is, a word--a scientific term--came to me in the course of the nightmare, and I decided I'd look it up on the holonet and see if I found any results. I haven't so far, but the word is VIVINECROSIS: 'living death'. Have you ever heard of it, or studied any cases at the medical facility?" Andorra looked doubtful. "I don't suppose you have, but if so, is there any cure or treatment for it?" A sudden, chilling thought occurred to her. "How long might its victims last?"

[Chevron 7 locke]

"We can still outrun these monsters, and if we can make it to the armoury on the way to the hangar, this should get a lot easier. Kurt, Atora, I'll need you to cover them from behind, while I protect them from the front."

 

Atora simply nodded and then brought his rifle up and began to fire into the dark corridor as they began to move. His HUD was showing that even though he couldn't see the infected, he was hitting them occasionaly.

 

He grinned under his helmet as he grabbed another thermal detonator and tossed it down the corridor. There was a brief silence and then a large explosion.

 

"I believe that the area behind us is secure for now. I'm only showing one of the infected on my HUD and it looks like he doesn't know that we're here."

 

 

 

 

"Ask your question."

 

Alriana watched calmly as Haruka walked away before turning to Tavaryn. "First of all...why are we letting him leave. And second of all, what is a Shinigami? I have heard people call you that before, but I still don't know what it is."

[Alkonium]

Kalla activated her lightsaber the moment she heard the hum of Vector's, and she was about to parry the strike when Tonatius beat her to it. "Vector S'borr, I knew it was you who was after me, but I didn't think I you wanted me dead. And for a skilled assassin, your technique is flawed. Now, why I are you after me?" She asked, still maintaining the guise of using Niman.

 

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

 

"Let's keep moving." Komad said to the group. "It shouldn't be much further to the armory."

[Master_Archon]

"For an assassin you have no manners," Tonatious said as he appeared and blocked Vector's thrust into Kalla's back, and then pushed him away, a very big mistake.

 

"Death has no manners, and my whole purpose revolves around bringing death to others," he responded cryptically, and quite autonomously, his voice now different from the old 'Jedi voice' he'd been using. It was similar to how he sounded on Jatalra, but distorted by his facemask, as well as warped and made gravely by the torture he'd endured, as the 'Nex Venators' had damaged his throat in their attempts to break him.

 

"Vector S'borr, I knew it was you who was after me, but I didn't think you wanted me dead. And for a skilled assassin, your technique is flawed. Now, why I are you after me?" Kalla asked.

 

"To kill you," he stated bluntly, his stance grounded but passive, showing no form in how he stood. "And....Not flawed, perfect," he told her, as his hooded gaze turned from her back to the closer Tonatious, who'd both foolishly revealed himself, and released Vector from a lock, mistakes he was surprised the Avalonian would make.

 

"You dead....? Kalla. Maybe, maybe not. But must kill you. Jedi dead? Yes! I want that!" He commented some more on her words, his autonomy fading slightly at the end of the sentence when he spoke of killing the Jedi.

 

But just as suddenly as he'd sprung from the ventilation shafts, he acted, almost as if by the cracking of a whip his muscled seemed to release unseen tension and energy in a split moment, and he attacked, moving with great force and velocity, he sent a bone crushing blast of Force energy at Tonatious to push him out of the way, and in an instant was in Kalla's face, his blade coming down at her neck from a high arc.

[Shana]

Lenatha rubbed her chin for a moment and her eyes widened as she remembered something.

 

"When I was in medschool, there was this legend that circled around the students, it was passed down by the senior medical officers from the fleet. They used to say something about a virus that reanimated dead cells and put the victim in some kind of zombie-like state but we all just thought it was some kind of urban legend", Lenatha said and became more serious. "What else did you see during your vision?"

[JediMaster12]

Tonatius backed away to gauge the attack pattern of the invader. When he saw him make a move, he movd just as fast to get out of the way, appearing to be shoved away. He retorted, "Death always has manners. It's those that are afraid to look at it in the face that are mannerless."

 

His step was flawless as he moved to take defense with Kalla. He had heard the assassin saying that he was goiong to kill Kalla but he'd be damned if that would happen. Yet he was not foolish to attack blindly. Even in training when his brother and peers taunted him, he remained calm and studied the technique. Master Andros always said that Almalexia had been a tactician in her day and it seems her sons learned the same. He was aware that his movements appeared foolish but they were with purpose. He also knew that Kalla would be angry if he rushed to her rescue everytime so with a slight touch, he signaled that he had her back but she was the lead.

 

**********

 

Tavaryn didn't look at her but watche Haruka head to his ship, "We can't force him to come with us." Then he looked at her, "Making a choice is the only freedom anyone really has. He knows that we came to bring him but he doesn't wish to go. We can't force him. That would make us kidnappers and I definitely know that the Jedi don't believe in that."

 

He paused a moment before answering her next question. The rain beat down but his head was dry from his hat even as he lowered it to study the ground. Raising his head, he said, "The Shinigami are as old as the Jedi, possibly older. The name literally means "death god" for long ago we were considered assassins even though we have never done that. Our mission really is to protect the Jedi but mostly the Force Senstitives. We live in the shadows, watching and protecting. Just as the Bushida Handmaidens serve the will of Force, so do we and its will for us is to protect. It is strange I know. The interesting thing is that members are not Jedi. They do not use the Force themselves but rather sentou. My mother lived with them to protect me during the days of darkness but she knew that I had hers and my father's Jedi abilities locked away but she never taught me. Protection."

[Chevron 7 locke]

"It shouldn't be much further to the armory."

 

"Lets hope your right Jedi. Right now there aren't any infected in range but that could change any moment.

 

His HUD began to flash again and he sighed as one of the infected crew members ran around a bend in the corridor and Atora instantly dropped him with a shot to the head.

 

 

 

 

 

"Making a choice is the only freedom anyone really has. He knows that we came to bring him but he doesn't wish to go. We can't force him. That would make us kidnappers and I definitely know that the Jedi don't believe in that."

 

Alriana stared after him, she was tempted to run after him and simply grab him and drag him back to the council by force. But she knew that Tavaryn was right: The jedi were not kidnappers.

 

"So what do we do now? It seems we have failed our mission."

 

 

((Let me know if this part of the post fits with the storyline. If not I'll edit it.))

Deep space

 

Rejira Beroc looked out at the endless night of space as his crew continued to repair his battle worn star destroyer. The ship had been damamged at the battle of Huntaru station and was still being repaired.

 

He looked out to the left and observed what remained of the imperial fleet. Most of the ships were damaged but only or two were severly damaged. The rest would be repaired by the end of the week.

 

It's good that Admiral Velerc disappeared. He was unfit, unworthy of commanding the Imperial fleet. I only wish he hadn't gone after Belina at Huntaru, I would have many more ships to work with.

 

His thoughts were interupted by his chiss first officer walking up behind him.

 

"You have news?"

 

"Yes Admiral. It appears that the test was succesful. In additon it looks like we managed to somehow infect one of the Republic's star destroyers."

 

He turned toward the officer and nodded to him, a rare smile was on his face. "A minor victory...but an important one nontheless. You have done well. I want you to find the location of the Star Destroyer and then take the Death's Head to it's location. You are dismissed."

[Alkonium]

(Actually, it might work for the New Empire to see the Silver Eagle and the Star Chaser escape.)

 

"Big mistake." Kalla said as the assassin's lightsaber approached her neck, and she saw it as the right time to break off her ploy, and take advantage of Soresu. Just as the blade was about to hit her, she took a swing at the lightsaber's hilt instead. Even if Vector spotted that, or thought it pertinent, it was too late for him to counter. She ended up destroying his lightsaber in the nick of time. "I gathered that you were trying to kill me, but why?" She then asked, this time more aggressively than her previous inquiry.

 

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

 

"Komad, how much longer do you think you'll be?" Iyav asked over the comm.

 

"Ten minutes at the most. The remaining survivors and I are on our way back to the Eagle now." Komad replied.

 

"Good. I'm going to start priming the laser cannons now and head back to the ship. Given the limited power supply, they should take about fifteen minutes to overload." Iyav told him, switching off the comm and getting to work on the cannons.

[Tysyacha]

Andorra explained her nightmare to Lenatha in as much detail as she could honestly remember. "I think I might have seen the Cygnus in my dream," she said uncertainly, "although I'm not entirely sure. Was it the only ship abandoned and infected in such a manner? I certainly hope so, although I know it's a horrible thing to say. If it is, perhaps we can...contain the spread...of whatever it is that's causing vivinecrosis among the crew members."

 

Her eyes were watery. "During the previous war, I learned all about sacrifice--how it can either be made in victory, or merely in vain. Perhaps if we locate the ship and then blow it up..." She trailed off softly. "The explosion would kill the monstrous creatures aboard, and no living cell, vivinecrotic or not, can survive the heat of a blast of that intensity." She hoped Lenatha wouldn't slap her.

[Shana]

Lenatha's expression went to sadness as she heard everything that Andorra told her. When she suggested the explosion her eyes widened. She considered for a moment telling her something around the lines of "Are you crazy? What about the victims?", but the truth was, there didn't seem to be anything that they could do at this point, no real research was done and even probably no cure for it had been found so the logical thing would be to sanitize the problem which always meant blow it up and broom it off.

 

"I would normally say that that line of thought was too radical, but for what you're telling me, I have to be realistic. That's most certainly what the government would do if report of this gets to their ears. Rather than invest time that would also benefit the spread of the disease, they might just sanitize and forget about it. But if what Reyvan said was true and Komad Kaltas is over there, then samples of the virus can be obtained and maybe we can research it and find a cure. I just cringe at the thought of abandoning all those victims, I mean what if their all just innocent people who just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Should we just... let them die?", Lenatha asked hugging her legs in thought still with her saddened expression mixed with worry.

[Tysyacha]

The chills that ran down Andorra's spine made her visibly convulse. She now understood a part of the nightmare that she'd never really considered before.

 

"Do you remember the portion of the dream where the ship--the Cygnus, if indeed that is the ship--started spinning around and around because someone hit the piloting controls and turned them to the "permanent bank" position?" She saw Lenatha give a slight nod. "When that happened...I remember so clearly now...all of the ventilation shafts were opened by mistake. For instance, the ones to release body waste, vent toxic gases from engine exhaust, et cetera. The infection--released on vivinecrotic cells from the creatures--travels out those vents. And it's both vacuum-borne and airborne. Someone, either us or the survivors aboard the ship, has to do something before it starts rotating, and quickly."

 

After swallowing hard, she continued, "I'm convinced that the Force sent me that nightmare. Nothing else--and no one else--could have otherwise. I'm sorry for the victims on the ship, both the creatures and those battling them, but if those controls get knocked into position and the vents open..."

 

She shook her head in revulsion. "Is there any way we can contact them?"

[Shana]

Lenatha thought for a moment.

 

"Well I could use the emergency channel to try and contact the Jedi Temple. Maybe someone there can patch us through to Komad Kaltas", Lenatha said and started typing on the console quickly. "I do hope this works".

 

A man dressed in jedi robes answered, his hologram was clearly visible and he was wearing the usual jedi attire.

 

"How may I assist you at this late hour?", the Jedi asked.

 

"Is there anyway we can speak to master Reyvan, it is a matter of great urgency. My name is Doctor Lenatha Pradhes", Lenatha said with urgency clearly in her voice.

 

"I shall attempt to contact Reyvan", the jedi said and his hologram faded.

 

"Now all we can do is wait, and hope", Lenatha said.

[Ping]

((Sorry for not posting frequently. Alkonium, if you don't like this next part, then I'll edit it accordingly. )

 

Kerlos sat in the hangar, his T-21 loaded and at the ready. Despite having barricaded most of the doors, he could hear the infected banging on the other side. Then, one of the doors he didn't barricade started spilling zombies into the hangar. The auto-turrets immediately started blasting the infected, and Kerlos opened fire with his blaster, too. He walked over to the comm system on the ship, still firing, and frantically spoke into it.

 

"Komad, Iyav, I'm under attack here. Get back to the hangar as soon as you possibly can, I don't know how many there are."

 

Kerlos then swapped to his Packard Mortar Launcher, and loosed about a half-dozen shots into the crowd of infected, sending several flying like rag-dolls. Come on guys, hurry.

[Chevron 7 locke]

"Komad, Iyav, I'm under attack here. Get back to the hangar as soon as you possibly can, I don't know how many there are."

 

Atora paused for only a moment as he heard a voice echo through the corridors of the Cygnus.

 

He pointed directly at Kurt and then began to speak. "Don't let any of the infected sneak up behind the group. I'll go and help your friend out."

 

He activated his jetpack and slowly began to hover into the air and then took off at high speed through the corridors, using his HUD to navigate the corridors.

 

After a few minutes of flying at high speed and having a few close calls with bulkheads he arrived at the end of a series of corridors to see a large group of infected crew members breaking through one of the doors into the hanger. Atora instantly grabbed the one of his few remaining thermal detonators and threw it at the back of the horde before lifting up his assault rifle and began firing into the horde from the back.

[Cyborg Ninja]

"Don't let any of the infected sneak up behind the group. I'll go and help your friend out."

 

Kurt nodded his head and pulled back to the rear of the group. He checked his HUD but saw nothing on the radar. He started sweeping the area as he followed Komad.

 

"Did anyone else come with you Master Komad?"

 

Wrath sensed that both Andorra and Lenatha were troubled by something. He had just sensed this recently and was ready to activate his lightsaber but he did not sense anyone else present. He walked over to the door and knocked on it.

 

"Is everything alright in there?"

[JediMaster12]

Tavaryn replied, "We haven't failed...yet." He then moved forward as if to chase something down. He stopped long enough to say, "Wait here. See if anything comes out." He then gave a giant leap and leapt on top of some loading equipment and onto the docking officer's pylon booth until he was hidden from view.

 

**********

 

Tonatius whirled around to provide cover in a more aggressive stance as he watched the assassin for signs of treachery. He then said, "He wouldn't tell us Kalla. More likely he would rather be dead as the cliche goes."

[Alkonium]

"Just Iyav, and he's on his way back from auxiliary control, but we also met another merc the Republic hired when we arrived. He's guarding the way to the hangar, where our ship is docked." Komad explained, sealing the door behind them once all the survivors got through. "We're clear on this side, we need to help them out."

 

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

 

"You don't remember him, do you?" Kalla asked. "What's a hermit from Jatalra doing here trying to kill me?

[Tysyacha]

"Wrath?" asked Andorra. "Have you ever heard of 'vivinecrosis', or 'living death', before? Think of it literally. The dead--come to life--or, even worse, its victims' body cells die while they themselves remain what we call alive."

 

The second possibility chilled her far more than the first.

[JediMaster12]

"I remember. Can't turn the back but it doesn't mean that there is an inkling of respect," Tonatius replied. It was the long running scorn of assassins his people had. Avalonians were known for facing their enemies full on in battle and preferred to die than be taken prisoner. This attitude got themselves compared to Mandalorians and earned thier indignation.

 

However they were not complete snobs in the matter. They knew that stealthery was an art practiced in intelligence gathering and was respected in personal philosphies. They couldn't ignore the usefulness of it but they disdained the fact that it was sullied by assassination. Tonatius reflected this in his glare at Vector, never once lowering his blade.

 

**********

 

"One would think that the temple doors weren't meant to be sliced open," Jun-la muttered as she tried to get the door open. The panel on their side hadn't worked so she was going in manually. "Master Skywalker, can you sense what is going on in there?" Her voice held a hint of worry.

[Chevron 7 locke]

"Wait here. See if anything comes out."

 

Alriana nodded once and then watched as he jumped onto the docking officer's pylon booth until he was hidden from view.

 

She reached out through the force but couldn't sense anything except for herself and Tavaryn.

 

What is he planning?

 

 

 

Cygnus

 

Atora was continuing to blast the infected but it seemed that there was no end to them. He was distracting a few of them by getting them to chase after him instead of going after whoever it was inside the hanger but he was only drawing so few of them away.

 

An idea began to form in his head as his muffled voice rang through the corridor.

 

"To whoever is in the hanger, you might want to take cover!" He shouted as he threw his last thermal detonator in the direction of the infected and watched in grim satisfaction as the celling caved in, leaving only a few infected left.

 

 

 

Cygnus Exterior

 

Above the Cygnus, a large, grey ship dropped out of hyperspace above the Cygnus and began to scan it.

 

The captain of the Death's head looked down over the Cygnus as his first officer approached him and began to recite his report.

 

"Three additional ships have been detected in the Cygnus's docking bay. Two in the starboard hanger and one in the port hanger."

 

"Lifesigns?"

 

"There are many lifesigns aboard the ship but many of them are...off. Not right somehow. There are a few normal lifesigns aboard the ship but there aren't that many."

 

"Admiral Beroc was very specific. If there were any lifesigns aboard the ship we are to destroy it at all costs. Bring turbolasers online and prepare to fire on the Cygnus at my command."

 

"Ver ywell sir. But due to recent battle damage it will take us at least five minutes to bring turbolasers online. We were repairing the damage when we left the rest of the fleet."

 

"Very well. You are dismissed."

 

The first officer nodded once, bowed and then turned around and headed back to his post as the captain continued looking over the ship below.