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

[JediMaster12]

The Togorian growled in pain and snapped at her. Tavaryn had planted a boot on the chest to keep him from moving too much. They didn't have long to wait for the the droid came bearing medkits and warbling at his master which he took in good humor.

 

The droid had been built by his mother out of sheer boredom on her part. She once told him that he was a special droid and had functions that most other astromechs of his series didn't have. Tavaryn had to admit that he was a good companion after his mother left him behind in order to make a final stand at redeeming a fallen and taking down the Empire. "Thanks R4."

 

It was short work on the Togorian working to stabilize him. Meanwhile Haruka abandoned his plan to burn sky and began asking Alriana questions. "Are you certain you haven't heard of Jedi Ashira-Li Starlighter? She was the first of our people to be raised and trained at the Temple on Coruscant and was a close friend of the Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi."

[Cyborg Ninja]

Xan chuckled at Darth Pestilus mentioning the gas. He didn't know a lot about it, but he did know that the stuff was nasty. He had a breath mask just in case he needed it and it sounded like he would.

 

"Just tell me what you need me to do and I'll do it," he replied.

[Alkonium]

"I'm ready." Kalla replied, closing the case with her gear in it. "I can change into my armoured robes en route. I'll contact Doctor Prahdes, and see if she and Andorra are ready." She added, taking her gear out, and hearing for the nearest comm terminal.

 

"Doctor Pradhes, this Kalla Kaltas. Do you have what you need? We're waiting for you over here?" She asked, spotting her and Andorra nearby.

 

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

 

"Eliminate the Guardsmen, and lure the rest to me." Darth Pestilus explained. As soon as he knew who the Republic would send, he would gather what knowledge he could about them, and then use Dun Moch to crush them before a single blow was struck.

 

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

 

"In that case, we can help you. After the Battle of Setna, I left my X-38 in the Ackbar's hangar, and the Silver Eagle can best most starfighters in a dogfight." Komad suggested.

 

"If you wish, I could attempt to infiltrate the command ship and apprehend the Grand Admiral myself." Iyav added, drawing a look from Komad. "I know my way around those ships. I can be in and out before they realise he's gone."

[JediMaster12]

"Alright then," Jun-la replied. "Perhaps also you would consider this in addition to your robes." To both Kalla and Tonatius, she held out a set of what looked like trackers. The kind that could attach to ship hulls. She said, "They may appear what you think they are but they have other uses. Just small enough to hide on your person."

 

She then smiled and left but not before turning and saying, "Lift off at 0300 at the Hawk. Matton is being punctual."

 

Tonatius waited until she left before grinning and saying, "Seems like Matton is back from whatever blue milk run he was assigned. This mission is something important if he dropped everything just to help the Jedi out."

[Tysyacha]

"I'm ready," responded Andorra crisply. "Doctor Pradhes?" She could sense that the doctor was lost in thought. "Excuse me. I don't think Lenatha--er, the Doctor--is ready yet."

 

She stepped forward and laid a hand on Lenatha's arm. "Is something wrong?"

[Cyborg Ninja]

Xan chuckled again, this time picturing what Pestilus would do to the jedi after he took out the guardsmen. Now killing the guardsmen would be the fun part and hopefully Pestilus would let him have his fun.

 

"That shouldn't be a problem for me at all, after all I am the best at what I do."

 

---------

 

Wrath looked up when he heard the a new voice. It was the voice of a foe now turned friend.

 

"Greetings Kalla Kaltas, it is good to hear from you."

[Shana]

She had been deep in thought until that moment. Thoughts mostly about if she was capable enough to find a vaccine. She had jumped forward and had absolutely assured Reyvan that she could find a cure. Jumping in without giving a second thought, she thought to herself as she sighed. But it was no time to back out, she'd find that cure even if it was the last thing she did. As soon as Andorra's hand touched Lenatha's arm, she came back to herself. She turned to face Andorra and blushed a bit at her.

 

"Oh, sorry I was spacing out, no biggy", Lenatha said and looked at Kalla Kaltas. "Nice to see you again Miss Kaltas, I have everything. We're ready when you are".

 

Lenatha's expresion went back to serious.

 

I'm genuinely worried this time, I have to succeed, I absolutely have to...

[Alkonium]

"We'll be over shortly." Kalla replied, switching off the comm and boarding the Ebon Hawk. She immediately went to one of the dormitories, closed the door, and changed into her armoured robes. While the Geonosian climate didn't call for it, the armour was certainly thick enough to keep those monsters from trying to bite or claw through it. That's why they brought two extra sets of female armour. Andorra would still have to be careful, though. Like any other sword, Chetyrnadstat wouldn't cauterise the wound, and even the blood of the infected could be dangerous.

[JediMaster12]

Tonatius was not that far behind in boarding the Hawk. He looked around the bulkheads, feeling the smooth metal. He then went into the dormitory to drop off his gear pack. Comming into the main hold, he saw Matton running a checklist and grinned, "Make sure we don't crash."

 

"That was my ancestor's curse," Matton replied grinning back. "Run a check on the hyperdrive. The droids did it but I prefer something more organic checking them."

 

Tonatius nodded in agreement and went to check on the hyperdrive.

 

Jun-la was running a warm up on the controls in the pilot's chair. She had some apprehension about this mission. The infection was strange and she wondered about it. She then got an idea that maybe the Shinigami would want to have a hand in helping out. She keyed the ship's comm to the dormintory, "Kalla, as soon as you can, contact Tavaryn. Use the frequency code named Shadow."

 

She had taught that frequency to Kalla and explained that it was a special comm link to the Shinigami, specifically Tavaryn. Grand masters at the temple knew the general coded frequency for the Shinigami but specific individual ones depended upon the member.

[Tysyacha]

Chetyrnadtsat'. Don't fail me now. You are all that stands between me and the blood of the infected people and aliens, who are becoming monsters.

 

Andorra stepped far away from Doctor Pradhes and the others, taking a few practice swings and spins through the air. Even though her battle technique known as skorost' had been primarily lost when Darth Virul was defeated, she still remembered the skeletal basics of it. It had been hard-wired into her brain. What was causing this vivinecrosis? The Blade of Fourteen Slayings would find out if she herself could not. Resolve coursed through the Avalonian's veins.

[Alkonium]

Once Kalla finished putting on her armoured robes, she stepped out of the dormitory, and set the console in the main hold to the Shadow Frequency. "Tavaryn, it's Kalla Kaltas. How familiar are you with the Star Destroyer Cygnus?" She asked, hearing the ship stop again. We must be here to pick up Andorra and Lenatha. She thought. She immediately switched comm channels to Lenatha's apartment. "We're waiting at your landing pad now." She told them, if they weren't already on their way.

[Chevron 7 locke]

"If you wish, I could attempt to infiltrate the command ship and apprehend the Grand Admiral myself."

 

Belina shook her head.

 

"There are two reasons why I would never let you do that. One: You'd probably die without even getting close to the Grand Admiral, with the second reason being that you probably wouldn't be able to pick out the Command Ship from all the other ships.

 

"Sorry." She said again, "but I can't allow it."

 

 

 

 

 

"Are you certain you haven't heard of Jedi Ashira-Li Starlighter? She was the first of our people to be raised and trained at the Temple on Coruscant and was a close friend of the Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi."

 

Alriana shook her head. "I'm sorry, but I've never heard of her. But you know of Master Obi-wan Kenobi? Can you tell me if he survived the purge?"

[Alkonium]

"You're right. Komad would never have forgiven you if you let me get myself killed." Iyav replied, realising the flaw in his idea.

 

"There is another option, though. New Imperial Star Destroyers use a wireless network to enhance tactical coordination between one another. It allows the crew of each Star Destroyer to access the tactical data of each other Star Destroyer. The system is secure enough that the transmissions can't be accessed without the proper codes, and they change too frequently to be of any use to anyone finds one. However, if something were to interface with one of their systems directly, a virus could be uploaded, and transmitted to every other New Imperial Star Destroyer in the area, without it spreading to your Star Destroyers." He then suggested. "That's brilliant." Komad commented. "Really bad design on the New Empire's part, but still."

[Chevron 7 locke]

"Really bad design on the New Empire's part, but still."

 

Belina shook her head again. "I'm sorry, but I'm going to destroy everyone of those New Imperial starships with my own fleet. No viruses, no capturing this new Grand Admiral."

 

"Believe me...I would like to use the virus idea but my orders come directly from the man who promoted me. I'm to destroy the Imperial fleet using ship-to-ship combat."

 

She thought for a moment.

 

"Now that I think about this more...Those orders do seem suspicous. I think I'll need to check into these orders."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Grand Admiral Beroc looked on at the few Republic vessels that were still in orbit. The ships were attempting to mobilize to try and take on the thirty or more Imperial ships that had just dropped out of hyperspace.

 

"Inform the fleet that they may pick and choose their targets at will. I want two Star Destroyers for every one republic ship. As soon as those ships are destroyed I want ground troops on the planet immediatly."

 

The gunners on the bridge all saluted and Beroc watched as green flashes of turbolaser fire slammed against the deflectors of a few of the ships before punching through.

 

He activated the intercom system of his ship and began issuing orders. "All ground troops will report to their transports and prepare for departure within the hour. I repeat: All ground troops will report to their transprts and prepare for depature within the hour."

[Shana]

"We're waiting at your landing pad now."

 

"We copy, we're on our way", Lenatha said as she picked up her bags and also picked up her silver case. She looked over at Andorra and Wrath. "Let's go, I have several things here you can use Andorra and I also took the liberty of ordering some clothes for you, they will send them over to us and you can return anything you don't like".

 

Lenatha said the last bit smiling and then opened the door to her appartment, heading out first. She went down to the landing pad to find the ship there and she looked around for a moment.

 

"This is the last I'll see of this place for a while. Hope this new path leads to more exciting things", Lenatha said mostly to herself. With her new found resolve she moved towards the ship's loading ramp.

[JediMaster12]

Tavaryn answered his comm, "I read you Kalla. Cygnus yes I know of her. What's the problem?"

 

While he was talking to Kalla, Haruka was enlightening Alriana, "Of course he survived. He and Lady Ashira both did. They had a son. You've met him already I bet." Haruka was surprised this Jedi did not know Ashira. Being the the first of his people to be trained on Coruscant was the biggest news to anyone connected with the Jedi. He had read of her and her exploits traveling with Qui-Gon Jinn and other Jedi inan efort to keep the peace.

 

They were interrupted by the Togorian who growled, "Why don't you just kill me. You'll never be able to stop what is happening. The infection will continue and you," he pointed at Haruka, "are still wanted. They still want you."

 

Tavaryn managed to hear the conversation and with a deft movement of his boot, he nudged the injured arm to make the Togorian roar out in pain. "Shut it. I know what your masters want otherwise I wouldn't be here." He gave a cursory glance at the audience and continued to talk to Kalla, "Scuttlebut would be good Kalla. Give details."

 

**********

 

Matton finsihed his check and called out, "All hands take a seat. We're lifting off."

 

Jun-la made the necessary adjustments as co-pilot. "Lifting off and we're clear of moorings."

 

"Taking us out," Matton guided the ship towards space.

 

"Set a course for the Cygnus. We have two passengers to pick up before we get to Geonosis," Jun-la said.

 

"Roger," Matton geared the ship to move.

 

It was uneventful as they docked to pick up their passengers. Jun-la said nothing but just checked systems after lowering the ramp. She then unbuckled her seat belt and went to greet her guests.

[Alkonium]

"There's nothing left there but debris, and if you mean my father and Iyav, they're busy helping Commander Belina create a diversion for us, and even if they weren't, they'd take the Silver Eagle." Kalla pointed out, then returning to the comm. "After a bit of a skirmish on Geonosis, most of the crew on the Cygnus succumbed to a disease Andorra called Vivinecrosis, meaning living death. My father and Operative Dourden were able to get the survivors out and destroy the Cygnus recently. We believe we can find some answers at the New Imperial base on Geonosis." She explained.

 

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

 

"And who was that? A smart order would be to take out the New Imperial ships with minimal casualties regardless of what that method was." Komad inquired.

[Chevron 7 locke]

"And who was that? A smart order would be to take out the New Imperial ships with minimal casualties regardless of what that method was."

 

"It sounds like you may have a spy in your midst." Atora chimed in as he walked toward Belina and the others. "Sorry it took my so long to get here but I got a little lost."

 

Belina narrowed her eyes at him. "What exactly do you mean? The man who gave me these orders is a close friend, he sponsered my entrance into the academy and was responsable for promoting me to my current rank."

 

She turned back to Komad. "The man's name is Taran Geka. And he is the second best tactical genius the republic has. But to think of him as a spy...I hate to say it but it is possible. He disappeared once for a few days and no one knew where he was."

 

 

 

 

 

"Of course he survived. He and Lady Ashira both did. They had a son. You've met him already I bet."

 

She shook her head "No...I don't believe I have. The only person I really know from this century is Tavaryn and I still don't know all that much about him."

[Alkonium]

"Just once? More likely he's dead and someone has taken his place. If he was simply a traitor, he wouldn't need to contact who he's really working with in person, or if he did, those disappearances would be a lot more frequent." Iyav suggested. "There's a lot of different possibilities, about who the impostor really is, and who he's working for. He could be with the New Empire, or even something like Black Sun. It's also possible he wasn't someone they hired, but a clone they created for that exact purpose."

[Tysyacha]

Aboard the ship to Geonosis, Andorra turned to Lenatha. "Doctor," she began, "what would you suggest is the best way to fight the infected, if and when we run into them?" She swallowed, but precious little saliva found its way to her throat. "I have my blade, but it's not a lightsaber, and it can't do everything. I know some combat techniques--including one that I learned while I was being controlled by Darth Virul. It's called skorost, and it's based upon speed."

 

She paused for a moment. "Still, I don't know if that will be enough."

[Cyborg Ninja]

Wrath followed the two girls to the landing pad and into the ship. He looked over at Andorra and chuckled. He waited for the doctor to speak before he said anything.

 

"If I could make a suggestion, I would recommend taking off the head."

 

-------

 

Xan heard the announcement of the intercom and got a little bit excited. He hadn't seen some action and days and couldn't wait to get off of this ship. He suddenly had another of his sick thoughts run through his mind.

 

"You said you wanted me to lure the Jedi to you...do you mind if I have my fun with them first?"

[Alkonium]

"Certainly. Fear is a powerful weapon." Darth Pestilus replied. Beroc is a fool. Even if we outnumber the Republic, their ships are in better condition. They'll be slaughtered, but he is an impediment to my plans anyway. He thought.

 

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

 

"I'd personally recommend you try to minimise blood spatter, though. It's logical to assume that the vivinecrosis, as you call it, is flowing in their veins. It shouldn't be too hard to modify Chetyrnadstat so the blade's heated enough to cauterise any wounds it causes. We've also brought a couple sets of armour for you and Dr. Pradhes, which should be thick enough to keep the infected from biting or clawing at you." Kalla suggested, still waiting for a response from Tavaryn.

[Tysyacha]

Andorra winked. "Excellent. As for modifying Chetyrnadtsat', how would we do it so that the blade remained continuously hot enough to cauterize wounds? Is there some crystal we could insert into the hilt or the blade?" she asked. "As for the armor, I want to see how it fits. Mind if I slip into the refreshers and try it on? I don't want anything falling off of me in the middle of a battle, especially with a bunch of vivinecrotic crazies running around." She tried not to giggle.

[Chevron 7 locke]

"There's a lot of different possibilities, about who the impostor really is, and who he's working for. He could be with the New Empire, or even something like Black Sun. It's also possible he wasn't someone they hired, but a clone they created for that exact purpose."

 

Belina shook her head in disbelief for a few seconds before replying. "I always thought he was acting a bit...odd after he returned from wherever he went. I guess I just couldn't think of him as a traitor. I see now that I was wrong."

 

She grabbed a comnlink off her belt and began hitting a few buttons, she needed to get through to someone special.

 

"Tovak. This is Grand Admiral Belina aboard the Ackbar. Until we have a clearer idea of who's side he's on, you are to detain Taran Geka until I get back from Geonosis. He is to be held under constant guard."

 

She terminated the comn channel and then turned back to Komad.

 

"So...shall we get going?"

 

 

 

 

Beroc looked on as the last of the republic ships, a light cruiser finally burst into flames as the turbolaser barrage broke through it's shields and slammed directly into the bridge.

 

He smiled and turned on the intercomn. "Attention all crew. The last of the republic ships has been destroyed and we are now able to land ground troops on Geonosis. All drop ships are to depart as soon as possible. That is all."

 

Beroc looked down at the planet below and smiled again. Victory...for the moment was theirs.

[Shana]

"I have to agree with Wrath on this, severing the head would be the optimal solution. I'd recomend engaging at a distance. Which is why I brought blasters. But in your case Andorra I think Miss Kaltas' suggestion is excellent, making the blade hot enough to cauterize any wound it inflicts is a rather brilliant idea", Lenatha said and brought her finger to her chin as she always did when she was thinking. "Although it might get too hot for you to bear, I mean it would be incandecent enough to burn flesh".