Star Wars: The Sith Resurrection Part VIII: Wrath of the Empire

[Tysyacha]

((OOOOPS! My bad! I have consequently fixed that little error...))

 

Andorra gritted her teeth and breathed out through them, her exhalation sounding not like a sigh but a hissssss. "I've had enough of the Sith," she growled coldly. "They threaten my homeworld, possess me, turn sentient beings into walking dead, and now this! I want payback. Revenge. Don't tell me that's the path to the Dark Side, because I'm not a Jedi! Bounty hunters and their ilk live by the creed of 'an eye for an eye', and for once in my life, I agree with them! Fear not, dear Cousin. My blade shall slake its hunger..."

[JediMaster12]

Taryn, clearly amused by his cousin's antics managed to grab the wrist that held the sword since she was swinging it a little wildly. "Easy there Cousin. Won't do any of us good if you poke someone's eye out with that. Besides I really think that you should get a change of clothes unless you were thinking of going commando." He grinned while his brother simply glared at him.

 

"Sometimes I think you spend too much of your free time surfing the illicit section of the Holonet," Tonatius said.

 

"Whatever."

 

Tonatius was about to say something when a rustling sound occurred and from the trees dropped a straif cat followed by a warrior. The area around his eyes were painted to look like a mask. He addressed the person closest to him which happened to be Kalla, "Why have you wandered to this part of the Takeshi Forest?"

 

**********

 

Tavaryn grunted and would have glared at the ceiling for his stupidity but the adrenaline had him going. He was on his feet in a kneeling position trying to find where the sniper was.

 

"Sir, you alright?"

 

"Fine. Keep a sharp eye."

 

Utilizing a crawling method, Tavaryn slunk forward trying to get closer towards the enemy. This was one of those times when he wished he had Alriana or Haruka watching his back, Alriana more so since she could read his intentions without betraying them.

 

The Sith soldier was having fun trying to pick off the enemy. The commander had been hit and was back on his feet. So he picked off and killed a couple of the enemy squad. When he couldn't see the enemy commander he decided to take drastic action. Grabbing a couple of frag grenades, he lobbed them at the enemy.

 

"GRENADE!"

 

Tavaryn heard one of his men sound the alarm and there were scuffles of men diving out of the way. He moved over as well and felt an explosion carry him across the room. He slid on the floor a ways and grunted as a rain of debris fell on him. The explosion must have alerted the other Sith and they were coming out and firing their weapons. He scrambled behind a bulkhead and tried to return fire but his blaster was shot. He called on his comm, "Bridge Command, this is Onashi, we need back up on the med deck. Heavy enemy fire and artillery."

[Alkonium]

(I was under the impression that the Silver Eagle was headed for Amshrey)

 

Kalla was unsure of what to make of this newcomer, and kept a tight grip on her lightsaber.

 

"Look at Tyan-yu's skyline. We're fleeing that. I am Jedi Knight Kalla Kaltas of Coruscant. If you are not Sith, we would welcome your assistance in fighting them off. Who are you?" She inquired.

 

Off in the distance, she could hear another voice, "Five runners detected: two male, three female. Orders are to shoot on sight."

[Chevron 7 locke]

The Ackbar's bridge rocked as fighters continued to attack the larger ship. The Anti-fighter guns were losing their effectiveness as more and more of the laser strikes managed to punch through the shields and cause damage to the hull.

 

The lights on the bridge flickered a few times as power was rerouted to damaged systems. Even though the fighters were taking down many of the enemy fighters, Alriana knew the Ackbar was in trouble.

 

"Reroute power to weapons and shields!"

 

"Shields just went down!" One of the officers shouted to her as a console exploded near the front of the bridge. "Turbolasers are starting to lose power."

 

Alriana turned around and began issuing more orders. "Reroute engine power to shields and weapons. And get these lights working again!"

 

The officer nodded and the lights stopped flickering. "Turbolasers are back to full power and online. Shields are back online."

 

Alriana turned toward the enemy ship. "Stop targeting their bridge and instead focus all weapons on their shield generator...as soon as the shields are down target their weapons and hit them with everything.

 

"Bridge Command, this is Onashi, we need back up on the med deck. Heavy enemy fire and artillery."

 

Alriana brought her hand down on her chair and left a slight dent in it. "I'm going to take care of this." She said to the third officer. "If this gets any worse try and send a message to any republic ships in range."

 

The officer nodded and Alriana ran down the hall and ignited her lightsaber as she headed toward the med deck.

 

 

 

 

Varith's fighter finally managed to cut through the swarms of fighters and even now was heading straight for the republic ship's hangerbay. The door was starting to close, but that was no trouble for the former jedi. He pushed his fighter to maximum speed and easily slipped through the doors just as they closed.

 

He looked out through the windows and watched as a security team consisting of three officers came running up to his fighter.

 

"Surrender! As of this moment you are under arrest!" the lead officer shouted. Varith responded only by casually raising his hand and lifting the entire team up into the air and began choking them. he then dropped them.

 

None of them moved.

 

Varith opened the cockpit up and stepped over the bodies before igniting his lightsaber and reached out through the force.

 

The jedi...she is close.

 

Varith walked down one of the corridors as he walked toward the Jedi's force signiture.

 

It won't be long now.

[JediMaster12]

((I'll correct my posts to indicate Belos for me))

 

The warrior looked at them and in the direction of the voice. "I am Caelos. Follow me and say nothing," he replied to Kalla. With a click he made a motion to the straif cat who bounded off towards the voice. He led them deeper into the forest towards a waterfall that protected a series of caves. He motioned them to follow him.

 

Once they were in the caves he said, "Basa will distract your pursuers. When he comes back, I will take you to our tribal leader. Understand?"

 

***********

 

Tavaryn was frustrated that he couldn't use his blaster and had long since thrown it aside. He could hear shouts from men either his or the enemy's and blaster fire and some explosions and the crackle of a panel. He sighed and looked at his left shoulder where he had been hit. It was still bleeding from all the excitement and he swore in Avalonian.

 

Looking at his belt he realized his sword and lightsaber were still miraculously attached. He gripped the lightsaber and looked at it. His mother had given it to him stating that it belonged to a good man. He had learned how to use it effectively like a Jedi but without the use of the Force. Maybe now isn't the time to be squeamish, he thought.

 

Then it hit him. It was a cold rage. Something was on this ship and it was coming near. He recalled the feeling when he saw that fighter and his eyes opened in shock. He got to his knees and admist the fire, sprang with a leap, igniting the lightsaber. He swung it to deflect shots that came his way heading for the lift to the next deck.

[Alkonium]

(No need, I just edited my post instead. Also, how many planets does the Avalon system have in its Goldilocks zone, anyway?)

 

"Ground troops we can handle, it's laser blasts from a capital ship in orbit that are a bit problematic for us." Kalla commented. "But yeah, we understand."

 

Outside, she could hear blaster fire, which she assumed was just their pursuers trying to fend off that straif cat, until she heard the leader of the group shout "Return fire!"

 

"Your cat doesn't know how to use a blaster, does he?" She asked.

[JediMaster12]

((Lol. There are six planets within the system. Avalon, Andorra (sister planet), Mikkado, Atzlan (water world), Belos and Amshrey. I gave a small descripton in the Resource center of each world))

 

Tonatius looked at Kalla and gave a slight motion, "The cat is a means of distraction. It will toy with them."

 

Caelos gave a hard stare. "Basa knows what he is doing."

 

Taryn meanwhile had unsheathed his sword and was running a thumb along the edge. He said, "If they come this way, my brother and I have a few tricks that involve water. That good enough for you cousin? Kalla?"

[Alkonium]

(And they're all within the Goldilocks Zone? In case you don't know, the Goldilocks Zone is the range of distances from a star that a planet would have to occupy in order to be habitable)

 

"Then who was shooting at them?" Kalla asked. At that point, the cat returned, followed by five people in what looked like black Republic Guardsman armour.

 

"You won't have to worry about your pursuers for the time being." Their leader explained.

 

"How do we know know you're not working with the Sith?" Kalla inquired.

 

"Your friend's cat would be a lot more hostile if I was. We're with the Republic, in a manner of speaking." He pointed out. "My name is Jareth Krotan-"

 

"Former Republic Guardsman, dishonourably discharged after the Battle of Kaji. Allegedly recruited by the secret organisation Echelon 5 afterwards. Ex-husband of former smuggler and current Republic Intelligence Operative Iyav Dourden." Kalla stated.

 

"So you know him." Jareth commented.

 

"My father's boyfriend. He's mentioned you before, and I can't say he holds you in high regard." Kalla clarified.

 

Jareth chuckled a bit at that comment. "If he did, I'd probably still be his husband." Jareth remarked, before taking a more serious tone. "None of that matters at the moment. You Jedi and whatever else you might be may disagree with our methods, but we're on the same side here, and it'd be mutually beneficial for us to work together here."

[Tysyacha]

"Oh, indeed, indeed!" Andorra blushed fifteen shades of red. Out of all the things that could have happened on her wedding day, she never dreamed she'd be stuck right in the middle of an attack on her home planet in nothing but her lacy bridal underthings! Force. It's in times like this that I wish I was still Andirrul. Strong, not blubbering. Focused, not distracted. Clad like a normal human being, and not running around near-naked like a feral animal!

 

She brushed a long tendril of blonde hair out of her eyes and waited to see what these 'tricks' Taryn mentioned happened to involve. Be careful...

[JediMaster12]

Tonatius bristled and replied, "Maybe mutually beneficial to both of us yes but subterfuge and clandestine operatives are not necessarily held in high regards."

 

Basra gave no indication that he was harmed and rather had a fun day. He gave a lazy growl/purr and allowed his tail to flick the leg of Krotan. Caelos gave the cat a rub down and pat. He said to Krotan, "Besides we have our own version of your Echleon 5, the Shinigami."

 

"Right," Taryn added even though he had heard third hand about Echleon 5. He kept his manner more relaxed unlike his brother who could be uptight in a tense situation at times. "Still I think the best thing we should do is continue on towards your tribal village Caelos."

 

"Yes. We can contact the Shinigami from there and you may find some refuge," Caelos replied. "Come."

[Chevron 7 locke]

Med Deck

 

Alriana's lightsaber was constantly moving as she deflected blaster bolts back at her opponets and at the same time pressing forward as she hacked and sliced her way through the solders that had boarded the Ackbar. the enemy was well prepared and were not afraid to use heavy weaponry that could punch through the hull and cause a breach.

 

The admiral is going to be furious. I should leave some of them alive for her to vent her anger on.

 

She stopped for a moment as a sudden wave of cold rage and controlled murderous intent hit her. It was close by.

 

And it was getting closer.

 

Alriana slowly turned around toward the end of the corridor where the dark presence was coming from and then turned back and began running toward tavaryn's position as quickly as she could.

 

 

 

Varith didn't care who was in the way as he continued killing solders from both sides. He looked around and saw that no solders remained in his way. He continued on for a short bit before hearing the sound of blaster fire. He slowly came around the corner and saw a small group of solders who it seemed were under fire. One of them looked as if he had been wounded in his left shoulder.

 

Hmph. It seems as if this group and the enemy solders are the only thing standing between the jedi and I now. A shame, I was expecting a challenge.

 

He slowly walked down the corridor toward the group and held his lightsaber ready to deflect any shots that came his way.

[JediMaster12]

Tavaryn felt the coldness coming upon his men that were valiantly holding out against the enemy fire. He knew he had to help them so he took a roundabout way that would bring him to a more advantaged position. He clipped the lightsaber back on his belt and drew out his blade. He came upon the one emitting the coldness and held out his blade in a threatening manner, "Going somewhere?"

 

**********

 

Jun-la managed to get to Amshrey with minimal fuss and sent the transmision, "Clansmen, there has been an attack on Avalon. Requesting assistance."

 

Andros looked at his master wondering if she should have been more urgent in her request. He said nothing until the reply came in, "Message coming in."

 

The Ebon Hawk. Long time no see. Don't you worry about a thing. We'll be over there quicker than you get back.

 

Jun-la gave a laugh, "Knew I could count on you Selene. Out."

 

((I know that the planets are in the same system Alkonium. I don't know if that was what you meant.))

[Chevron 7 locke]

"Going somewhere?"

 

Varith looked over his new opponet. This one had somehow managed to detect him and move to intercept him before he could go through his men.

 

"As a matter of fact...yes." Varith said calmly as his lightsaber hummed. "I was going to slaughter you and your men and make my way towards the Jedi that is coming this way. And then kill her and then make my way off this ship and move on towards the other ship."

 

Varith brought his free hand up and streams of lightning erupted from his hand and straked toward his opponet.

 

"I can make your death painless. I'll even kill you first so you don't have to see your men die."

[JediMaster12]

Tavaryn didn't pay attention to the fact that the enemy in front of him mentioned a female Jedi. He assumed that the fleet had requested Jedi assistance given that Admiral Belina had worked with them before. Instead he maintained his posture, holding his sword pointed outward in his right while he held his left behind his back as if to try and rest it from the dull ache the injury was giving him.

 

Before he had a chance to reply, the enemy shot out lightning at him. Out of pure instinct, he lifted his left hand and braced for the impact. He felt the lightning strike his empty palm and he pulled it back to absorb it before thrusting his arm back out to return the lightning back to its owner. He glared at his opponent, feeling the blood drip down his arm. He replied, "You won't kill anyone else on this ship. I'll see to it."

[Alkonium]

"I've met one before. Tavaryn Onashi, I think his name was." Jareth commented.

 

"That was you on Geonosis?" Lenatha asked.

 

"Don't worry, Doctor. What we created with that sample was an augmentation drug, not a weapon, and we have complete control over it. It underwent extensive lab tests before we began using it on our operatives, myself included." Jareth explained.

 

"I feel sorry for your test subjects." Lenatha muttered.

 

"Come on, we need to keep moving." Kalla told the group. As much as she disliked working with Iyav's abusive ex-husband, the circumstances left them little choice.

 

"Any chance there'll be a change of clothes at this village? Andorra and I won't be able to fight well in our wedding dresses." Lenatha asked.

[Chevron 7 locke]

"You won't kill anyone else on this ship. I'll see to it."

 

Varith chuckled darkly as his opponet sent his lightning back at him. Varith easily absorbed the lightning and chuckled again.

 

"I assumed that there was only one force-sensative aboard this ship. It appears that I was mistaken." He said thoughtfully as he looked Tavaryn over. "It doesn't matter. I will dispose of you and move onto my next target."

 

Varith instantly gathered the force around him and force jumped at Tavaryn at incredible speed. As he landed, he brought his lightsaber down against Tavaryn's sword with incredible force.

 

 

 

Alriana stopped for a moment as she sensed the battle begin between the dark-force user and Tavaryn. Anyone who was near the two of them would be in danger.

 

There was only one thing to do.

 

Alriana activated the intercomn and began broadcasting. "Attention! All hands are to evacuate the following sections. As soon as your out, lock it down immediatly so that nothing can get out."

 

She told the crew over the intercomn the following sections that had to be evacuated and then paused for a moment. "Any remaining fighters are to be launched immediatly. All fighters are to converge on the enemy ship."

 

You can do it Tavaryn...just stop whatever your fighting long enough to get out and we can seal it in.

[JediMaster12]

Tavaryn would not show this enemy fear. He replied, "As I said, I won't let you kill anymore today."

 

When the order came over the comm, he was ready to obey it but he knew his men needed time to get out. If he could maneuver the battle long enough to make an escape...

 

He couldn't finished the thought for the enemy had launched himself at him, swinging his lightsaber with great force. Tavaryn reacted with a sliding step and brought up his sword to block. He could feel the power in the strike. At the same time his left hand reached for his lightsaber and he activated it, swinging it in an arch at his enemy. "You'll find I'm full of surprises."

 

**********

 

"I think they would help us cousin," Taryn replied to Lenatha. "Jun-la wouldn't have sent us here in the first place."

 

Caelos stopped suddenly and turned around. "Lady Jun-la sent you?"

 

"Yeah."

 

Caelos regarded them for a moment and continued on. He said nothing about that outburst as he led them through the forest.

 

Tonatius gave continuous glares at Jareth while following with Kalla. Even he had to agree on his thoughts with Kalla. He said to him in a low controlled voice, "Tavaryn may run in the shadows but he does not believe in taking potential weapons even if it were changed to be some sort of augmentation."

[Chevron 7 locke]

"You'll find I'm full of surprises."

 

Varith had to admit, the one he was fighting was well trained. Most of the people he fought didn't last beyond the first two minutes but this one...this one was proving to be a challenge.

 

"I will admit," He said as he easily ducked the lightsaber, "You are more skilled then most of my opponets. However...in the end I will win and you will be dead."

 

Varith quickly gathered the force around him and then released it in the form of a massive force wave that sent objects on the floor flying in all directions and nearly compromised the hull in the area.

 

It also left Varith feeling a bit tired out but not enough that his opponet would find any vulnerabilities. He watched his opponet carefully as the objects that were sent flying were suddenly caught in the air and then redirected directly at Tavaryn.

[Alkonium]

Avalon

 

"I don't like it, but the Jedi aren't exactly trusted by the Senate anymore. We need all the allies we can get." Kalla commented. "First chance I get, I'm going to try to get in contact with Iyav, and see if he can tell us anything else about Jareth."

 

Silver Eagle

 

"No response. This can't be good. That computer virus must have spread and hit Amshrey. The whole planet might have gone dark." Iyav commented.

 

"Is the Eagle safe?" Komad asked.

 

"Yeah. I was able to isolate it and flag it in the onboard computer before it could do any damage." Iyav explained.

 

"If the ship's safe, I say we head down and try to talk to Tiye in person." Komad suggested.

 

"I agree. It's that or come back empty handed." Iyav commented, setting a course for the planet's capital.

[JediMaster12]

Tavaryn sprang away after missing to avoid being caught in a position to be impaled. He held both blades with the long skill of practice and fighting, waiting to see what the enemy would do. His left shoulder throbbed in pain but he kept a firm grip on the blade that had belonged to his father. He replied, "Presumptuous if you think that you will kill me."

 

When Varith released the wave, Tavaryn lowered his body into a crouch to avoid the brunt of its power. He watched as the hull was being weakened and knew that he would have to be quick about getting out of there. He was caught in surprise when some of the objects stopped in midair and were being redirected towards him. Using his agility, he tried avoiding the more heavier equipment. He did receive a couple of good clouts on his body from containers that had been left out and one crate that may have contained medical supplies clouted him good on the ribs.

 

It had hurt like bloody hell but he was not going to give this enemy the satisfaction of beating him down. He dropped to one knee and used his sword as a means of support. He dropped his head to his chest and closed his eyes. He stilled his breathing, calming himself. When he opened his eyes, he was in a place of serenity. He looked around and saw a shade of her. Nodding to her, they both began on a kata starting slow at first and then it got faster.

 

While his mind was in a place of serenity, his body was rather vulnerable but there was something else. It could be felt as the Force began swirling about him at first a gentle breeze and then building up into a maelstorm. Other times he had opened himself to a little of it, making him appear just a sensitive but his power was similar in strength to his siblings should they ever fully release it.

 

Tavaryn could feel a slight breeze play with his hair as he continued to channel his power. He managed to send through the Force to Varith, Two can play at that game.He was unaware that there was another Force user who was listening.

[Chevron 7 locke]

"Presumptuous if you think that you will kill me."

 

Varith's eyes widened as his opponet suddenly went still and then the force began to swirl around his opponet. It began as a gentle breeze and then quickly became a powerful storm.

 

Hmph. It appears that I underestimated this one. It would seem that It wouldn't be wise to hold back. The jedi may have to wait.

 

Varith snarled at Tavaryn and unleashed a stream of lightning at Tavaryn and then jumped up into the air as soon as the stream of lightning stopped and brought his lightsaber down in a halving motion.

 

 

 

 

Two can play at that game

 

Alriana could sense that the battle between Tavaryn and the dark force user was getting more intense. She could feel the force rolling off of both of them. But she knew that if the dark force user were to get any stronger Tavaryn would need help.

 

The admiral isn't going to like this but I feel that Tavaryn may need help. And if he were to die I would never forgive myself.

 

She ignited her lightsaber and began cutting through the door as quickly as she could.

[Tysyacha]

Andorra felt completely and hopelessly lost. I should be in Lena's arms right now, or at least holding her hand, at our wedding reception! There is no way in space that I'm supposed to be holding Chetyrnadtsat' in a death-grip and fending off more kriffing Sith! When are they ever going to stop attacking? You'd think they'd learn, after what happened with me and Darth Virul. Even his inhabitation of my body didn't last. I was redeemed, and yet another wave has come. What did Lena and I ever do to deserve this?

[Alkonium]

"This isn't what I expected our wedding to be like either, Andorra." Lena reassured her wife, gently caressing her hand. "This isn't our fault, and we didn't do anything to deserve this. It's highly unlikely the Sith, if that's who they are, know, or even care about our wedding. We'll probably still have our wedding night to ourselves, at least."

 

"I think I've got a signal. Silver Eagle, this is Kalla. Please respond." Kalla sent out.

 

"Read you loud and clear. What's your status?" Iyav sent back.

 

"We made it out of the city safely. But there's more: Jareth is here." Kalla explained.

 

"Don't turn your back on him. He may be loyal to the Republic, but he is not to be trusted." Iyav pointed out.

 

"Believe me Iyav, I have nothing to gain from betraying them." Jareth interjected, having somehow intercepted the transmission on a device of his own.

 

"Jareth." Iyav stated, a seething anger in his voice.

 

"Missed me?" Jareth inquired.

 

"I was glad to be rid of you." Iyav pointed out.

[JediMaster12]

I would be too. Tonatius thought as he said, "We have made it to the forest tribes. Caelos is getting us audience with the Lord of the Tribes."

 

Taryn was standing with Andorra while the whole conversation was going. He said, "Easy there cousin. It's not your fault. Always be tried and true that the enemy never adheres to anyone's schedule."

 

**********

 

Jun-la was glad that Selene and the clans were able to help. They had ben on Belos for a training with the Belosian forces for the last few months so they would spread the word. She looked at her padawan and said, "Open a channel to the Silver Eagle."

 

"Channel open."

 

"Silver Eagle, this is the Ebon Hawk, do you read?"

 

**********

 

The kata was intensifying as the tension grew. They were in sync, moving in a fluid motion that was almost dance-like. It looked as if they would get faster when they pulled back into a fighting stance, ready to strike...

 

The maelstorm was swirling at a dangerous level when Varith made his move. Even with his eyes closed, Tavaryn could sense the attack and the reaction was instantaneous. The Force pulsed as the crates slid across the ground and rattled from the shockwave of Tavaryn's movement.

 

Tavaryn sprang out of the way of the lightning and the lightsaber attack while spinning on his heel to strike with the cold heat of his sword. He could feel the resistance of fabric as he moved passed Varith. He paused to face Varith who was recovering from his attack to look at him in the eye with an intense look before moving so fast, he disappeared from the line of sight until he was besides Varith making a series of strikes with his blades.

[Chevron 7 locke]

Varith felt multiple sharp pains all over his body as he was attacked by his mysterious opponet. Suddenly this opponet had become much faster and it was all he could do to keep up with the strikes from his blade with his lightsaber. Even so, a few of the strikes hit him.

 

What is this? His command over the force has become nearly as strong as my own.

 

Varith hated to admit it as he jumped back away from Tavaryn. This was a worthy opponet. One who deserved respect. He smiled darkly and lifted his lightsaber and then brought it down in a salute.

 

"You...I hate to admit this but you are a worthy opponet. One who deserves respect."

 

Varith gathered the force around him and the objects on the floor slowly floated up into the air and then he launched them like projectiles all around the area. He knew that not all of them would hit him but some would. And at the speed they were flying when they hit they could cause severe damage.

 

 

 

 

Alriana finished cutting through the bulkhead and immediatly ran down the corridor toward where she sensed Tavaryn was. Timing could make all the difference in a battle and she had no intention of leaving Tavaryn to fight a dark force user alone.